FIVE – EPISODE VEIL

The airport terminal was a bustle of activity. Vacationing couples and students. Businessmen in sharp suits fussing their way towards destinations unknown. Tetsuya sat arms sprawled behind his seat, foot tapping in time with his music player, eyes hidden behind his shades. Mitsuru sat across from him- behind her was the arrivals exit. The clock ticked down.

"My apologies for making you wait with me, Kirijo-san," said Tetsuya suddenly. "My brother insists that he along with the package be escorted. Our own security forces have been more than halved since the formation of the Janus Group."

"I understand," said Mitsuru, not looking up from her book. "Because of the necessity of the situation, the Kirijo Group is more than willing to provide assistance."

"Glad to hear. However, actually, there's a reason why I asked you specifically to accompany me."

Mitsuru paused, then raised an elegant eyebrow as she looked over her book. "Yes?"

"What did you dream about?"

"...excuse me?"

Tetsuya sat up, and stared intently at her. "Last night. What did you dream about?"

"...exactly what relevance does this discussion have?" asked Mitsuru, glaring at him.

"Oh, the usual end of the world and trying to prevent it sort of relevance," said Tetsuya, shrugging. "Okay, more specifically, does the name 'Igor' mean anything to you?" A pause, then a grin. "Your look of surprise tells me all I need to know. We'll continue this discussion later- my brother's here."

Not just his brother- a small army of identically suited men, each with oddly misshapen luggage in hand.

"...this is 'halved?'" asked Mitsuru.

"Yes, imagine what we're up against."

There were some day when, after they gave him his breakfast, everything became hazy. He remembered some vague details- lying flat on a table, his face supported by a circular cushion. Figures clad in white apron and masks standing over him. A deep ache at the back of his head.

Crimson.

Then he wakes up some time later, sometimes it felt like weeks, and they tell him he must fight. There would be another person in the room, gagged and bound. Two pistols would lie on a table between them. He would be left alone with them- they would suddenly break free, shoot themselves in the head... a monster would come out... but never linger for long.

Each time, he got better. And faster.

He remembered a man, well-dressed, but with eyes red and sharp, almost feral, congratulating him each time.

The very last time was an enemy he couldn't beat. A frail man in a wheelchair, a knowing leer, and a shock of deja vu sharp enough to give Takaya all the edge he needed. He never hesitated. He never even noticed that there was only one gun.

He had a master.

"...odd, I expected more of an escort," said Alex. "Kirijo-san, you did inform your group...?"

"My company has very strict standards, Juno-san. You're not meant to see them."

Tetsuya laughed as the limousine made its way to the city. "Looks like we have to rework our own security teams, bro. Old CIA operative consultants are apparently no longer sufficient."

"...accountancy's going to hate me, you realize," muttered Alex.

"Eh, you'll find a way, Alex. Either that, or you can seduce the VP in charge. Again."

"Hey, shut up, Tetsuya. She came onto me! God, that was an awkward Christmas party- stop snickering, I didn't do anything to her after!"

"Ha, look, even Kirijo-san's smirking."

Alex buried his face into his palms. "Oh, God, you do this every time I have a business meeting with the opposite gender, Tetsuya. Why haven't I fired you yet?"

"Because they always end up signing the contract anyhow, bro. Sorry, Kirijo-san- teasing my elder brother's a past time of mine"

"I see," said Mitsuru, keeping a straight face. "I must ask, though... why the naming disparity?"

Alex sighed. "You mean our names? Nothing complex. Mother was American, Father was a Japanese expatriate. Mother got first pick on names, and since I was born five minutes ahead of Tetsuya..."

Tetsuya made a face. "He got off lucky. Odd names and public schools don't mix."

"Tetsuya's hardly an odd... oh."

Tetsuya shrugged. "No big deal. Why are we even discussing this? I wasn't bullied that badly."

"Yeah you were, though not only because of the name," said Alex as he adjusted his glasses. The frames were thick, and a careful examination would suggest flickering lines of text and small videos playing over the lens. "But you get uncomfortable whenever I bring it up."

"...that's your idea of revenge, eh? You're mean, bro."

"Heh."

"If I may interrupt," said Mitsuru. "We do have a small problem. While it is only a minor logistics problem for me to relocate back to town, the others have long since stopped living in the region."

"Not a problem at all," said Alex dismissively. "The process only takes about half a day. With luck, they'll be on the train home tomorrow, as planned."

"...wait, you want to make another foray tonight?" asked Tetsuya. "...Alex, they'll be expecting us."

"Who said we're making a foray?" asked Alex, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not asking you to charge headlong into a den of wolves again. Heck, I didn't ask you to the first time around. It's going to be a lot more surgical than that."

Mitsuru sighed. "I barely know you two, and I already see where this is going. Alright, impress me, Mr. Juno- what's going to happen."

Alex pointedly ignored Tetsuya's sniggers. "Alright, this is how it's going to play out. The bioprinters are set to flashclone the late Mr. Arisato. Our house alchemists and mages will finalize the process, creating a much more accurate spiritual template in which to trap his essence, as well as adjust any minor physical errors made during the cloning process. That's actually going to take up most of the time, as conventional science hasn't quite caught up with the human neurological network's complexity. When that's complete? One of our specialists will take over the now-empty container on their side, and assassinate Takaya. We then seal our own copy of Minato away- also a lengthy process, which we'll need SEES's help, along with whatever operators the Kirijo Group can lend us, and shut down the Dark Hour this very night."

"Ah, I see. Unfortunately, that means killing him," said Tetsuya. "In such a way that his soul can no longer be retrieved- not for a few thousand years or the end of days, whichever comes first. You understand, Kirijo-san? I realize that this may not be an... agreeable course of action, given your history with him."

Mitsuru shook her head. "It... it's nothing. Even if we truly reincarnate him, memory intact, he'd still want us to follow through with this. My friends are agreed to this- saving the world must take precedence over our emotional attachments."

"Then we're good to go."

The warehouse was heavily guarded. Patrols of cars were on carefully designed randomwalks, camouflaged amongst the city's usual traffic patterns. The nearby apartment complexes were staked out. They had even established temporary cots and a small cafeteria.

"...huh, this is better than the school's food," said Junpei as he chewed on his burger. "Man, the rich really have it going on. What's... 'foie gras spread'?"

"Ugh, how can you eat?" asked Yukari as she stared with morbid fascination at the massive infrastructure of machines and pipes that occupied the center, and grand majority, of the warehouse. "I mean... look at that. Is that a spleen?"

"Dude, Yukari, I'm looking away for a reason."

"I find it absolutely fascinating, actually," said Fuuka as she picked through her salad. "I've heard of 3D-printers being used in the medical field before, but not to this extent. The implications of this technology..."

"Try not to think about it too much, Professor, or we'll have to make you sign a waiver," said Tetsuya as he walked up. "Ah, Boris, how's the kids? Ribs, beer and a pack of smokes."

"Don't light up near the equipment," warned the cook. "Kill yourself on your own time."

"Yeah, yeah. Anyhow, Yamagishi-sensei, this is something that isn't going to come out in the market for a few decades, even during this period of accelerated industry. It's not a complexity issue- it's the unconventionalities."

"...oh, yes, I see. That's a prayer wheel, isn't it, next to the ley crystals?"

"Huh, sharp eyes. Yeah. A bit of Taoism, Shintoism, and Western magics involved. And magic is not something we'd usually rely on- too alive and unpredictable. But this is an emergency, so we'll do what we can."

The machine suddenly whined loudly, shooting sparks and blue smoke.

"Of course, it might need a bit of damage control," said Tetsuya tersely as he sprang back up from the bench. "Get that goddamn sprinkler on! DamCon 1, stations! Dammit, hold my ribs!"

"Heh, how... presumptuous," said Takaya.

"They're moving way too fast, Shepherd," said Toshioya. "What's worse, their assumptions are right. If they succeed-"

"Have I not said that Her coming was... inevitable?" interrupted Takaya. "Even this- yes... especially this- is all part of the plan."

The wheelchair squeaked as he was rolled away. "But... we must maintain our... image. Do what you believe... appropriate."

"Then I shall dispatch our men immediately."

AN: Ugh, wow. Writing a hell of a lot today. The original plan was to do daily updates, but as you can see... I'm already done with chapter five. Now, if you'll excuse me, my fingers are lifeless, and I need to fix that.