Ch 13 Phantom and Dementors

The Yamato headed towards Hogwarts, disabling the cloak. Fighters started a CAP, and Kodai got a call from Minerva.

"Kodai, get here as fast as possible. Dumbledore wants to meet with us." Minerva said.

Heading to the headmaster's office, he found Minerva and Dumbledore already there.

"Kodai, you know that Voldemort is tightening his control on both worlds. Was your mission a success?" Dumbledore asked.

"No. I only brought 3 students from the Beauxbatons School with me. Everyone else is dead." Kodai said.

"This is bad news. If they can take down a school that quickly…" Dumbledore said.

"I know. But I noticed something. They're now using ships to expanse their base of operations. Apparition has a short range. Long range is more difficult. Hence the ships. I plan on hunting them down, and cause havoc to their war machine. Try and bottle them up as long as possible." Kodai said.

"Good plan. But once they figure out you're hunting them…" Minerva said.

"I've been working on that. Cloaking the ship take too much power from the wave motion device. And I don't have stealth technology aboard ship. There's one other solution. I can mask my ships engine signature." Kodai said.

"How can you do that?" Albus asked.

"In the cold war, a soviet submarine went missing in the pacific ocean. The sub had a device attached to it. Soviets called it phantom, because it gave off a phantom signature so no-one could intercept it. The Soviets found the submarine first, and brought it back to their country. For years, they refused to talk about it. I don't blame them. Why risk giving away your country's top military secrets to your enemies?" Kodai stated.

"How do you know about it?" Albus asked.

"When the cold war ended, all the secrets of the Soviet Union spilled out. Gradually, not all at once. I found out about this phantom sub. The Russian archives about it were released in 2010. I know where the sub is now."

"Where?"

"Murmansk, Russia. During the cold war, it was the center of submarine activity for the USSR. It's in the northwest part of Russia, extreme part, right above the Arctic Circle. I can get the Yamato close enough, but I can't simply walk, let alone shoot, my way in. I'll need to apparat inside. Which means I'll need one of you two to come with me."

Both Albus and Minerva looked at Kodai as if he was nuts.

"You're asking one of us to come with you on a dangerous mission that may not succeed." Minerva said.

"Yes. I know where it is. All I need is to apparat inside the building, steal the phantom device, and get the hell out of dodge. It'll be real quick. They won't know anything." Kodai said.

"You sure about that?" Minerva asked.

"It's 1996. The Russians are busy trying to rebuild their economy. Losing an old museum piece won't trouble them at all." Kodai said.

Dumbledore finished telling the students about the faculty changes occurring this year. Kodai stood up at the pulpit, and also gave a speech, more like a warning.

"I need to say something very important. We know that Voldemort is increasing his power and reach. To this end, a curfew is to be enacted at Hogwarts, right now. At night, everyone is to be inside the castle. No exception. Disobey this order, and you will be shot!" Kodai emphasized.

The great hall went silent, as everyone soon realized that Kodai was serious. He'd kill anyone seen after the installed curfew.

Much later, he was on the Yamato bridge, and talked to his crew.

"This is the captain. As of now, I'm taking the Yamato on a top-secret and dangerous mission. I won't tell what the mission is about, for fear of spies, but if we're successful, it could help turn the tide of the war. We leave in 4 hours."

Minerva left her duties to a substitute in the school, telling Dumbledore that she was on business for the Order of the Phoenix, which was quite accurate.

"You sure you want to go on this?" Kodai asked.

"You need someone to apparate inside. I can help you." Minerva said.

"Thanks for this. You're taking a big risk you know."

"Hey, what's wrong with a little risk now and then?"

"Be careful what you wish for." Kodai said.

That night, Kodai had a look of worry as he scanned the horizon with his eyes. While he didn't see any ships, he knew Voldemort was out there.

At 11PM, Kodai was still on the bridge, the only one the bridge. The radar chirped, and he looked at it.

"Shit." He said, and steered the Yamato away from the unknown vessels. Stopping the ship, he armed the cannons, and aimed them at the 2 vessels.

"They got to be muggle ships. Not death eaters. Please let them be muggle ships." Kodai said to himself, as he ran a scan against the 2 ships.

The radar chirped gain, and the words Death Eaters appeared on the screen. Kodai slammed the console, yelling "Damn it!"

Kodai sat on the gun controls, and targeted the enemy warships. He only had one shot at this. Most of the crew was asleep, and in no condition to respond to a fight. If Kodai didn't sink the enemy ships first, they'd sink him. With that in mind, he aimed the guns, and pulled the trigger.

The 20 inch rifled cannons fired one barrage on deadly artillery fire. Kodai watched as the shells slammed into the enemy ships, all but destroying them. Sighing in relief, Kodai put the Yamato on its original course towards Murmansk. But one question lingered. Why would death eaters operate this far out?

Murmansk, Northern Russia

"That's a goddamned fortress!" Sanada said, looking thru the periscope. Yamato was submerged for this op.

"I know. Dozens of submarines, ice breaker ships, probably armed. And plenty of armed guard to boot. Alright. I and Minerva will apparate inside, steal the phantom, and bug out." Kodai said.

"If you need any support, just call us." Sanada said.

"That won't be necessary." Minerva said, holding two AK-74 assault rifles.

"Remember. If it looks like Yamato is about to be compromised, get the hell out of here, and head back to Hogwarts." Kodai said.

Minerva grabbed a hold of Kodai, and apparated inside the museum.

"We're nowhere near the Phantom." Kodai said, cloaking himself.

"Couldn't get close enough. We'll have to hoof it." Minerva said.

Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. The base was mostly abandoned.

"Something's not right. It's too quiet here." Kodai said, unslinging his AK rifle.

"It's a museum. And it's probably closed." Minerva said.

"Wouldn't there be workers running maintenance on it? And it's getting cold. And it's not the weather." Kodai said.

"Cold…" Minerva muttered, then remembered something.

"Kodai, how are you feeling right now?" Minerva asked.

"Shhh…" Kodai said, putting a finger to his mouth.

A high-pitched whistling was heard. The two headed towards it, and saw a gas line leaking.

"Run!" Kodai said, grabbing Minerva, tossing her over his shoulder, and ran. Two seconds later, the line detonated from the extreme cold.

Kodai picked himself up, and noticed two ghostly figures standing above the ground. Not know that they were dementors, Kodai aimed his rifle at them.

"Kodai. Those are dementors." Minerva said, aiming her wand at them.

"What are those?" Kodai asked.

"Not enough time to explain. We need to move. Now." Minerva emphasized.

While the dementors didn't see them, Kodai was affected by them. His worst memories were coming back. His family being killed by the Gamilians, Yuki's death, and the brutal war. Kodai slumped against a wall, a haunted look of terror in his eyes.

"Kodai. It's the effect of the dementors. I'll help you with this." Minerva said, but Kodai wasn't listening. Kodai broke from Minerva's hold, and ran into a hallway, having flashbacks to the final battle on the Yamato. In a way, he was reliving it.

"Kodai, where are you going?" Minerva asked, running after him.

"Yuki!" Kodai shouted, looking for his dead friend. He rounded a corner, and saw nothing. He then saw a shadow move.

"Dessler, you piece of shit! Let Yuki go!" Kodai yelled.

Kodai rounded the corner, and fired a full burst of 5.45mm bullets down range. And hit nothing, except the walls. Then the dementors came.

"Holy shit!" Kodai yelled, firing at them, but the bullets went thru them, as if it was thin air. One of them grabbed Kodai and lifted him up.

"Who are you?" Kodai asked, as the dementors opened its mouth, and sucked the positive emotions out of him. Kodai struggled to break free, even grabbing his knife and stabbing the dementors in the head, but it did nothing. Kodai was surprised. These things appeared immortal. They couldn't die!

"Expecto Petronum!" Minerva shouted, and blasted the two dementors away with a petronus. Minerva picked up Kodai and looked at him. He was shaken up from the dementors.

"Kodai, eat this." Minerva said, procuring chocolate out of nowhere. Kodai ate the whole bar in one bite.

After a few minutes, Kodai spoke.

"I couldn't save her." Kodai said.

"Who? Yuki?" Minerva asked.

"Yes. If I had been faster, or had a more powerful weapon, I may have killed Dessler and his guards at that moment. I should have known. I have known the second we were boarded by his forces. Like what the fuck is wrong with me!?" Kodai angrily lamented.

"Kodai, take it easy. You're suffering from the dementors affect. It happens to everyone who comes into contact with them. They suck away all the good emotions and memories you have. If it last long enough, you're stripped of every good thing. You're left soulless. A fate worse than death." Minerva said.

"PTSD on steroids, and PCP. That's what it is." Kodai said.

"Can you continue the mission? Find the Phantom?" Minerva asked.

"Yeah. Lets do it." Kodai said, reloading his rifle.

With no more encounters, they found their way into the museum. Kodai recognized the sub with the phantom device on it.

"This is it. And that, is the phantom." Kodai said, pointing to a device on the front end of the sub.

Minerva pointed her wand at it, and said "Reducto."

The phantom device shrank many sizes small. Small enough to be carried in Kodai's pocket. With it safe, the two apparited to the Yamato.

"We got the phantom." Kodai said.

"Where?" Sanada asked, not seeing it.

"Take us to open sea. We'll show it to you." Minerva said.

While heading to the open sea, Minerva and Kodai talked.

"Minerva, before we came to Murmansk, I encountered two warships commandeered by death eaters, and I had to destroy them. Now, we encountered two dementors inside the museum. The fuck's going on?" Kodai asked.

"Their expanding their attacks. Look me in the eye, and tell me you can stop their expansion." Minerva said.

Kodai didn't look at Minerva.

"I have no idea where their ships are. I could be combing the entire world, and find nothing. It's just one ship."

"I understand. I suggest you eat chocolate. A good amount of it." Minerva said.

"Thanks. You saved my life back there." Kodai said.

"Just doing my job." Minerva said.

"It'll be a few days before we see Hogwarts. Lets get the phantom running." Kodai said, standing up.

Minerva pushed him back down into a chair and straddled him.

"What are you doing?" Kodai asked.

"Lets wait on the phantom. For now, lets enjoy each other, while we still have time." Minerva said, deeply kissing Kodai.