Manic and Little John's Hideout, Geno City

Afternoon

"...And that's how we met." Little John said to Jean, both sitting on the couch. Having told her how exactly they met Akira minus the Metaverse business when the latter asked who is he.

Jean smiling slightly as she pulled her blanket around herself a bit tighter. "You two must have had some great adventures after that."

"Not really. It's only been a few days ago from when he moved to this city on Sunday." Little John shook his head. "Us becoming friends only really happened after those two narrowly escaped Anton's gang over his sister's little lies."

"I see… Well, I still can't thank you enough for letting me stay even if you did use a little bit of deception to get me come here."

"You can thank those needles in finally having you here, allow one of us to stay behind to keep you company too and it was the only way to get you to come over other than by force. For someone who just moved into Cyber City, he's quick to pick up on the uptake over here and seeing through the Mayor's new housing plans for what they really are."

"I never did like the new Mayor. He's got this disingenious aura to him just like the last one..."

"He thinks so too. Believes that he's got friends with skeletons in the closet or maybe has some criminal ties." Little John recalls from his conversation with the wolf. "We told him of how dodgy his win in the mayoral election seems to be considering how well his political opponent in the running was doing til we got close towards voting day when a spring of mishaps happened for the other guy including getting into a car crash that cost him his whole left shin plus getting arrested for breaking some obscure law."

"Fumfer definitely has his share of dirty laundry."

"And that poor guy grew up on this side of the city no less, a real local dude while he's from some other city before coming over to here. Our guy could have actually helped make Geno City less of a craphole equivalent to the wealthy and gentrified Cyber City unlike him who's only helping continue the cycle for us but I guess the world just ain't fair like that." He shook his head. "Akira is a pretty swell one that's willing to help us out despite living on the good side. Yet there's something about his eyes, not a sinister one or a devious one mind you. Rather... Something that seems to be the reason he had chosen to move to here beyond just going to the city college. Reserved I'd say when you leave him to his own devices."

"When he and Manic visited me the other day, I noticed a particular kindness in his eyes." Jean noted. "I can definitely see what you're saying."

"A bit of sadness in them as well and I don't think those are real glasses he's wearing either. Still, he ain't one of those fake-ass punks that called themselves Manic's "friends" before they dropped him at the first chance they got when Anton started becoming prominent. Hell, he even called the guy a piece of shit to his face yesterday at the galleria without fear in spite of the threats. That alone tells me he's got more of a backbone than some of those busters."

Jean nodded, giving a weak smile. She always knew some from Manic's old gang were not good people thinking of their own community and them joining the Hooligans only proved it.

"Want some vegetable soup?"

"I would love some."

The brown hedgehog got up and went to go get out a soup container of the stuff he himself made the other day before giving it a reheat. Coming back to her with the soup in a bowl.

"Here you go. A bowl of veg soup for a Ms. Jean." The brown hedgehog told her, setting the bowl down at the table.

"Thank you kindly." She said with a smile, blowing on her first spoonful to cool it before beginning to chow down.

"Manic and him will be back soon."

"That's good to know." The skunk takes another gentle slurp of soup.

"They just have to do stuff first before meeting up with us. Heard about what happened in Westropolis last night?"

"I did. It was truly tragic what happened to him."

"And so sudden too."

Jean nodded in agreement. "Who'd have figured he would end up meeting his end at a truck's grill..."

Anton's Palace, Metaverse

Afternoon

They'd make it to the third floor of the Migu Levels. The group encountered a surprising amount of resistance from the Shadows on the first two floors but they found more loot and items that'd be useful in their trek through the Palace. Sy had even found a special pair of side-handled tonfas stronger than the ones he has to use as a new melee weapon among the loot they all found.

Migu's floors still had the gaudy gold appearance they've come to expect but it seems like with each sets of levels they go through, the shinier the gold gets. Rather than having the aquarium design of the Mad Levels, these floors had big window views of the streets below and walls lined with engraved AntonCo logos on them while the floors has more of the Sagittarius symbols which they've been constantly seeing as they progressed upwards in the deceptively large building.

"Chaos alive, this segment of this Palace is like an assault on my eyes..." Sly voices his critique on the aesthetics. "Way too sparkly for my tastes and this is coming from a guy who did a heist job at a movie set being filmed in Geno City in order to steal from a crooked producer. There's sparkly suits for days."

"What was that about?" Rogue piped up.

"To cut a long story short; the producer was unlawfully in possession of someone's family heirloom belonging to their father who once mentored that same producer and I was tasked in getting it back. Disguised myself as one of the production crew members; even impersonating a diva of a leading actress at one point to get near his office to get the heirloom."

"What made him crooked?"

"He was stiffing payments to a few people, he picked Geno City for what I assume is for tax-breaks plus maybe some coke purchases, we think a few of the cast members got the parts by sleeping with him and he screwed over his mentor Lionel Grade; a respected film producer ousted from his own production company because his apprentice convinced the shareholders to drop him after one of their films flopped. All around prick."

"Think I've heard about this one before. The heirloom?"

"Nicked it off from his casket. He lied and denied in owning a custom golden necklace cross gifted to Lionel by his late wife who was from this city. Lionel's daughter was grateful for us getting it back to them."

"If I recall, that producer was sued by the Grades for theft as well as being tried for illegal inside trading with the shareholders of Royal Films Production quick to testify against him and tax evasion. Currently doing twenty-five years in federal prison."

"Serves him right for being a cheapskate."

"...What's it like at high school before you moved to this city?" Seeker asks Avatar while they're navigating the floor. "Must be quite the attentive student if you're going to the C.C.C.C now."

"That I was. Always been a good student with good grades. Graduated a few months ago."

"What were you doing in the meantime?"

"...Mainly to prepare the arrangements for my move to here, having conversations with the campus principal on my enrolment application and other things before making the move around a week ago on the closing days of December of last year to the start of January this year. You?"

"Eh. Not much to write home about with me really." The badger chuckle to himself with a head shake. "I just learned to stay out of trouble like yourself."

"Playing it safe…" Sly mused. "Not a bad way to live life."

"Only if it's necessary."

"Not a bad line of reasoning."

"There's another trap about." Avatar spoke up, the group stopping in their paces.

"Already?"

"Third Eye, remember?"

"True that. How do we get past this one?"

"What sort of trap is it?" Rogue asks.

"A trapdoor into a pit of spikes." Avatar replied, then pointing to one of the windows where a security cam drone flew by and the four instinctively taking cover from it when it did before going back to their previous spots. "Going outside is out of the question with those drones outside."

"Geez, you'd think pits would've gone outta style after the Great War..." The masked hedgehog mutters. "Yet, here we are."

"How far does it span in this hallway?" Seeker enquires, looking to Avatar for an answer.

"About ten floor squares long. Even with our enhanced abilities, we wouldn't be able to make it across."

"Looks like now's a good time to break out the grappling hook..." Rogue pulls out a boxy-looking wristwatch device with a hook claw on it. "Been putting this one together as per O.V.I's instructions a while back."

"Nice!" Sly said with an excited grin. "We're gonna slay this shit~"

"I only made one and didn't enough parts to make a second of this." Rogue shook his head. "One of us will have to go across with it and go find a way to disable the trap."

"Why don't we all get to take turns going across?"

"Doesn't work that way." Rogue shot down the idea on the spot as he points at the hook mounting point on the ceiling above the trap. "That there is too far back from the middle to swing it back from the other side. It's a one-way cross."

"Then I'll take it." Avatar takes the grappling hook and puts it on his left wrist. "There has to be a switch to deactivate it for employees to go through."

"Well, shucks... Good luck I guess." Sly said in disappointment. 'I wanted to be the one to swing across...'

Avatar pointed the hook at the loop on the ceiling and fires it, said hook latching onto the loop. The wolf tugged at the wire; testing it's firmness before speedily reeling himself towards it as he swung across the active floor trap and managing to make it across to the other side.

"Nice!" Sly cheered, giving the double thumb's up. The wolf sets off to go search for an off-switch for the floor trap. Encountering a Shadow that he had to fight off solo til he eventually found the switch for it and disables it before returning back to the others.

"Okay, the trap should be off now." Avatar told them after testing the floor with his boot to find it firm.

"Good one dude!" Sly said with a grin as he hurried over.

"Only another floor to go after this one and we'd have reached the end of our map." Rogue spoke up as the four stealthily heads on their way.

"Yup. Which likely means we're close to the Treasure, huh?"

"Not even close."

"Ohhh... Jeez, man..."

They'd reach the fourth floor of the Migu Levels a few minutes later.

"Fourth floor, same as the first..." Sly said as they walked onto the floor. "Or at least it seems that way... All these floors are starting to blend together for me."

"Each set has their own distinctive differences, gimmicks and purposes it seems. The last set of floors were mail rooms." Seeker said.

"So then this one is just eye-bleedingly golden rooms."

"Yep."

"I feel like I'm looking right into the Ark of the Covenant with every second I'm in here."

"His Elysium of Wealth as he calls it."

"More like Fortress of Tackiness."

"A less egocentric name, I'll give you that."

Through their sneaking around, they'd get to a particular area of the floor where they'd be stopped by the appearance of Shadow Hud.

"Was wondering when you shitty lot were going to show up eventually." He said with a sneer. Wearing a corporate suit like Mad did but red in colour.

"Funny, considering we were wondering when we'd run into you." Sly retorted, glaring at Shadow Hud.

"Ugh, they're seriously here?" Then came Shadow Migu all dressed in a pink suit with a resting bitch-face on her. "Whatever. An unwanted orphan's an unwanted orphan from a whore mommy."

"Better than a spoiled-rotten brat!" Sly responded. Avatar stopping him from lashing out at her

"I, Vice Manager Migu and Manager Hud will crush you all beneath our heels!" Shadow Migu growled before her and Shadow Hud transformed into a pair or snakes. "Guards! Make sure they can't escape..."

Two Enforcers appears close by before turning into Shadows too.

"I always knew Migu was ugly but this is way too on the nose." Sly said with a smirk.

"You little shit, you'll be eating your words for that!" Shadow Migu hissed before summoning an Ice attack at the four in the form of Mabufu while Shadow Hud went for a physical attack. Sly quickly put up his guard, though still took damage from the attack. The other three dodged the attacks and goes to take care of the smaller Shadows as one of them is a Pixie. Sly targeted Shadow Migu with an elemental attack, dealing some good damage to her.

"Hell yeah!" Sly grins. "Take that ya dumb broad!"

Shadow Hud would inflict a Pulinpa spell on Rogue, causing the confused rabbit grab a healing item and toss it to Shadow Migu heal the serpent.

"Yo, Rogue, the hell are you doing!?"

"Ah, thank you for that brother." Shadow Migu cheered as she blasts Rogue with Bufu. "Your confusion spell really does come in handy."

"Shall we give them a frostbite, ey?" Shadow Hud chuckles to himself.

"May as well do that." The two serpents bombarded the four with Mabufu, dealing some damage to them.

"Ack!" Sly shouted as he was hit. "Dammit, these two are strong..."

Avatar casted Dia on himself through Pixie while a now not confused Rogue tosses the others a healing item.

"We need to take out Shadow Hud first. His ailment spell will keep being a problem for us if we don't take him out." Avatar spoke up, summoning Gnome who he had acquired earlier. "O.V.I. Check for their individual weakness."

"Got it."

The four focusing a bulk of their attacks on Shadow Hud while fending off Shadow Migu whenever they can. Sly sent another Magna attack at Shadow Hud and being sure not to miss. Avatar would join in with Gnome's Magna attack to deal plenty of damage to Shadow Hud and after doing that, Sly pulls out his submachine gun to do some spread damage.

The attempt would daze Shadow Hud and the four quickly initiated an All-Out Attack on him with Seeker leading it. Ending with the badger landing on his feet, standing with his hands on top of the greatsword's handle like a knight and his smirking head turned a bit to one side as black blood shoots out of Shadow Hud; "Befall to my blade of justice!"

"Heck yeah man!" Sly cheered with a grin, fist-pumping Avatar as he did so.

"Cognition Migu's weak to Fire!" O.V.I told them.

"Got it!" Rogue pulls out a Molotov Cocktail while Avatar uses the Doctor to lower Shadow Migu's defences before Rogue proceeds to toss it at her after dodging a Bufu attack from the serpent, Shadow Migu screeching as the item successfully made contact with her and dealt good fire damage to her in tandem with Avatar's casting of a well-placed Agi spell.

With her thrown off her game, all four of them proceeds to rain gunfire on her. Sly pretty much held down the trigger until his submachine gun went click as he fired at Shadow Migu, unleashing years of cathartic vengeance upon the sister of the one who has plagued his existence for the past few years.

Avatar would get to finish off Shadow Migu by striking the one whose lying mouth had started this whole ordeal for him with his rapier sword whenever his Colt clip went empty and she disintegrated into nothingness soon after.

"And that takes care of that." Sly said with a nod, panting a bit. "If only we could do this to the real Migu... Oh well, this was just as cathartic-enough to satisfy it."

"Same here." Avatar led the party on through the fourth floor level just like the other three floors of the Migu Levels that seem to be host from low to mid-ladder boardroom meetings. They'd collect some random loot before coming upon a set of golden elevator doors at the end of the floor.

"A golden elevator. How tacky." Sly commented on the decor. "Great form of transport between floors but clearly the owner of this Palace hasn't heard of 'subtlety.'"

"Unless we somehow missed a flight of stairs or they're hidden out of sight, we'll have to go up on this lift." Rogue goes over to examine the doors of the elevator.

"We've made a lot of good progress from the second Hud Level to here compared to last time." Seeker says to Avatar and Sly. "I say it's looking like a success here."

"Bollocks..." Rogue groaned as he came back from his examination of the elevator. "We got a problem. We can't go any further and can only go up the lift if we get an access card or the Chairman allows us through, both of which is impossible to do from here right now."

"You think this elevator leads right to the Treasure?" Sly asks.

"Do you see a Will Seed anywhere here?"

"If I knew what one looked like, I could tell you my dude."

"They would not be lying out here like our loot here. We've only just covered the first half of the whole Palace." Rogue shook his head. "That elevator brings us to to the other half and I estimate that'll take longer to traverse through there than on this first half."

"Awww, jeez... We may as well try to find a way to access the elevator. You said we needed a keycard, right?"

"I think only top level employees and new recruits would be handed one of them by Anton himself through his Vice Chairman or Consigliere if we're going with the mafia theme here. We didn't find one in Mad's office earlier, suggesting he doesn't see them as being worthy enough to keep them or has to hand them back in at some point until he needs them summoned up to his half of the Palace again at a later date." Avatar shook his head. "None of his siblings had one and we only encountered three executives whose rank goes up to Manager."

"Therefore, we could go no further because of Anton's cognition will not let us pass his security system unless he allows us through." Seeker finishes Avatar's sentence. "We'll have to go back to the real world and change his cognition from there for his Shadow to give us the keycard."

Sly thought for a moment, "...I'm not proud of it but I have a few ideas on how to do that... Though I doubt any of them are good ideas or will work."

"You're too well ingrained in Anton's subconscious and too well known to him for you to try anything around him without setting off his alarm bells. I wouldn't be surprised if he has an ability to see right through your disguises in his presence. Just some hunch of mine."

"Who said anything about disguises?" Sly sighs in exasperation. "No, you're right. We'd need someone he not only doesn't know but also can portray themselves as someone who is willing to do whatever he tells them so that they can gain his trust and somehow change his cognition from the outside."

"He had come to me the other day advising me to stay away from you for my own "good" lest I want the streets to become unfriendly and I could explain my hostilities towards him as being the result of you feeding me "lies"..." Avatar turns to Seeker and Rogue. "On the other hand, he doesn't know about either of you."

"That is true." Rogue nodded. "We've only met his Shadow here so far."

"So then..." Sly voices his ideas. "Either one of two plans comes to mind. Either one of you two goes to infiltrate his gang in order to change his cognition that way or go over there in disguise and alter his cognition that way."

"While one of us goes to him in disguise and another of us go to him as ourselves. Two of us waits by the elevator here until a cognition change is in effect." Seeker suggested. "However, let's save this discussion elsewhere and get on out of here for now..."

Manic and Little John's Hideout, Geno City. Mobius

Afternoon

"...So, this is your hideout?" Johnny said out aloud the first time him and Cortez entered the hideout late in the afternoon.

"Yup. Mine and Little John's home... Well, it's legit our home. So it's not exactly away from any other home."

"It wasn't always like this however. It's just that with Anton's gang around, living here is less risky than staying at a place that they know of." In came Little John whom greeted the four. "Hi guys. Wasn't expecting two of you to be over today."

"We just got back from our recent expedition today and we'll be discussing our plans regarding Anton himself away from prying ears." Akira said to him, fist-bumping with the stout hedgehog. "How's she been doing?"

"Been doing okay here with me keeping a close eye on her." The brown hedgehog told him. "She's resting on one of our beds at the moment. How did today's trip go, scored anything while you were there?"

"We scored some decent loot..." Manic hands Little John the loot bag that he'd been carrying, "Check it out my dude."

Little John checks the bag. "Holy shit, that's some good loot you guys came back with."

"Manic told us you're good with selling off stuff like this." Said Johnny. Taking a seat at a table.

"You kidding? If I get people I know interested in buying these off us, we'd get good money off them. When it comes getting money off from goods and getting ahold of non-store items through different channels, I'm your guy for it."

"Ya sure are." Manic said with a grin, then looked to the others and said; "Well, I suppose we oughta go over our next plan of action. Yeah?"

Akira nodded. "Right, let's get to that and fill him in on it too..."

The four boys would fill in Little John on their recent findings with the one about Jeck rightfully eliciting a strong displeased reaction from him. Commenting that he has underestimated on how much of a lowlife Anton really is as a person after learning his gang will try to take his granddaughter and sell her off to a brothel just like what they'll do to Sofiya if they don't get their money.

They'd also explain some Metaverse terminologies and concepts to him with O.V.I chiming in. They then discuss their current problem at Anton's Palace in the form of the golden elevator and their proposed plans to change Anton's cognition in the real world to help them progress past that point.

"...With two of us over in Anton's territory, the other two will have to be in the Metaverse. Either to intercept the card when presumably the Vice Chairman comes down to hand it to a cognition of one of us or getting into that lift as soon as it opens and get up to the next level." Johnny was saying at the table. "Manic will have to be on the intercept team. For the rest of us, two of us can go to Anton while one of us goes with Manic for backup."

"Bit of a risky plan, don't you think?" Little John questioned. "What if it doesn't open the elevator doors and you're putting yourselves in harm's way needlessly?"

"We have to try. Those girls' live are on the line here and we've got until the fourth of February to get Anton's Treasure before he sends his goons in to steal Karmen away from Jeck. Plus there's the matter of getting testimonies from people to confirm the Hooligan's criminal involvement and use as hard evidence to prove the legitimacy of what we found in his Palace."

"Right. So that's the gist of our plan then?"

"Unless a better idea comes along, that's what we've got." Cortez nodded while Akira had been sitting back in his chair with a hand on his chin, deep in thought as he pondered for ideas. "With those names of Anton's guys we acquired, we just have to access your records and match a face to them."

"I've heard of worse plans..." Manic muses with a nod, "Ah, hell. I love this plan. Let's do it."

"Hey Akira, you haven't said much during this whole discussion." Little John says to Akira. "What's up?"

"Been thinking of something when you were discussing the plan."

"Can we hear it?"

"Earlier in the day, a student I know at campus mentions that she knows people who could help me with my Migu problem..." The wolf elaborated. "However I declined the offer for her safety since Anton had seen me with her and anything that happens to his sister, he'll suspect her first thing regardless of wether he has proof or not. If we can ID those names we found in Anton's Palace to members of his gang, I could go to her and ask if she could get those people to snatch up one of Anton's guys to allow us to insert ourself into his place."

"Ohhhh, clever~" Manic said with a grin. "I love it. Definitely do that."

"Well, have you and L.J been able to match the extortionists' descriptions to anyone in your records?"

"We have." Manic set down a file that Little John had brought to the table. "Their names are Sterling Grant and Francis Young respectively. Both are horrid in looks but equally mean."

"And the dealer?"

"The dealer's name is Berlo Benson or BB for short. He's not a good guy at all and the guns he owns are gold-plated. He keeps a gold-plated AK74U with the stock taken off in a holster under his jacket."

"Geez, you think he's got an obsession with gold..." Cortez murmurs.

"At least we've ID'ed three of Anton's goons beyond the names we got from the Palace." Akira said, looking through the files along with Johnny. "We now know that those recent extortions of ma and pa stores are all being caused by the Hooligans. Though, we do need to bring in the victims to confirm the facts as well as providing hard testimonies when we bring this us to the authorities that aren't connected with Krouch. They won't accept the Metaverse answer for sure. The most we can do aside from doing our investigations is to provide them with anonymous tips to the Hooligan's crimes that can be verified by credible sources."

Manic agreed with his points. "The real issue is convincing them to do so. Jean might be easy to convince but Sofiya might take some doing."

"If we convey the severity of the extortion situation to them in a way she'd understand without disclosing too much, it can be done."

"I guess so." Manic said with a nod.

"Think that can be arranged?"

"I can get it arranged."

"Then I'll leave that to you and L.J."

"Looks like the plan's all set in motion." Cortez said, munching on a snack provided at the table. "I suppose me and Johnny will do a little surveying around the city if you don't have anything for us."

"Think you can produce more tools for us to use including those grappling hooks?" Akira asks him and Johnny.

"If we have the parts required for them, we can. Certain materials don't come cheap though." Johnny explains. "We'd have to source them ourselves with the money we have. Some we can acquire for free in the Metaverse if we're lucky. We'll see what we can do."

"Do what you can my friend." Manic said with an approving nod.

"So uh... How exactly did you both get your Personas and how did you come across O.V.I?" Little John asked Johnny and Cortez.

"Right. We haven't told you that yet." Johnny sat up straight in his chair. "I'll tell you about mine... One day, I got this mysterious app that brought me to the Metaverse. Back then, I was left scared and confused by what had happened..."

The rabbit sighed quietly to himself, contemplating over his next choice of words. "...To cut a long story short, I ended up being in serious danger and I was so afraid for my own life that I must have evoked the other me within myself. Taking on the form of John Dillinger, a gangster from Great Depression Era America to help me get out of that peril."

"Kinda similar to how Akira and I got ours..." Manic admitted. "We were in precarious spots until we found our power."

"And you?" Little John and the others turns to Cortez.

"Well..." The badger recalls his memory of it. "It started off the same way as Johnny and Akira getting the app. However, my reaction was different in that I found a bit of thrill in going to somewhere foreign and unknown than what I had been accustomed to."

"You a thrillseeker?"

"You can say I am but that's besides the point. I basically ventured around a little bit in what I would later learn to be the Metaverse..." Cortez then closes his eyes. "As for me getting my Persona? That's... That's a very traumatic experience I try not to think about too much and all I can say about it is that it wasn't a pleasant awakening either..."

"Well, I won't press ya on it if it's that traumatic." Manic said in understanding. "Figure you'll probably tell us when you're ready."

Cortez nodded in gratitude. "...As for how I found O.V.I, I discovered him at a tower in the Metaverse while I was traversing around in it one day. It was before I met Johnny."

"How did you meet him?" Akira asks.

"Johnny was wandering around in the Metaverse out of curiosity in the same town I happened to be in when I first encountered him there. There were some misunderstanding at first but we soon hit it off and been making several more trips to the Metaverse ever since."

"I see..." Manic nods to his explanation. "Ya have to wonder what kinda stars had to align for you two to meet like that, y'know?"

"I wonder that myself sometimes." Johnny said in agreement.

"You could say the same about anything that has happened the past few years."

"Me and Manic could have been living less stress-inducing lives if Anton's family had never moved to here." Little John remarks. "Or be working to earn a six-pack."

"Six-pack of beers?" Akira quipped.

"Haha. You're not exactly winning chicks over with those fake glasses either."

"Little John and I would've made great pirates or Freedom Fighters." Manic remarked. "Air Pirates though. Those are more badass because they use airships, harnesses and machine guns."

"Are those glasses actually a fake?" Johnny looks to Akira.

"Is Sonic really from Christmas Island? Is Depardieu really Antoine D'Coolette's last name or unflattering nickname referring to an outdated stereotype? Translation: None of your business." Akira said a little firmly.

"Jeez, so defensive." Manic remarked playfully.

"That's what Princess Venus said after she gave you a surprise pegging. No reach-around." Akira fired back, the other three boys laughing to that one with Manic grumbling smartass in a mutter. "Aside from Rockwell's, what else is there to do in this side of the city?"

"There's plenty of places to go to including Lilith's." Little John answered, tapping his chin.

"Lilith's?"

"It's a BDSM club and brothel down the street in fact. Right at the corner of 8th and Prima St." Manic explains. "Don't frequent it often but I go there on occasion… T-To pickpocket of course!"

"Only outside generally though." Little John noted. "Unless you got ID at the entrance, they ain't letting you in. Especially minors."

"They that strict?" Johnny asks.

"Oh yeah. Unless you're celebrating your eighteenth birthday or obtained a fake ID, you can forget about getting in there."

"Looks like we can go in there without a problem." Johnny said to Cortez before looking to Akira. "How about you?"

"I'm currently nineteen, attending college and got a legitimate ID. Looks like I can go in there too."

"Well, have fun with that." Manic said with a shrug.

"I hear of this new dominatrix chick they brought on recently. Though, neither of us have seen what she looks like." Little John was trying to think of the name. "Uhh... Manic, any clue on what those Anton goons said her name was?"

"I think it was something like 'Mother Superior' or whatever. Wait, it's Big Mama."

"If we're dropping by there some night, we'll let you know what her name is." Cortez said to them. "Maybe score her phone number too."

"Good to know I guess..."

"What do you do around here whenever you're not out and about?" Johnny asks.

"Mostly watch TV, read comics, look at porno mags or play video games... I also managed to accrue an extensive collection of anime, movies and pornos too. Y'know, just to watch and laugh at how badly-written most of them are. Same for the bad dubs."

"Library of Alexandria for pornography here I imagine." Cortez remarks, leaning back on his chair. "Must be quite a lot."

"He pretty much has a complete collection of Princess Venus. Tina Bonnet's her real name." Little John commented. "Supporting a fellow Geno City folk or so he tells me."

"She pretty much came from these mean streets like us. Real nice girl with no air of grace to her, thoughtful and playful. Also hot and voluptuous too. You'd love to meet her." Manic added with a wry smile. "I always try to support a fellow Geno City folk as he puts it."

"How good of you."

"What can I say? I'm a man of the people."

"What would you and L.J do on an average day anyways?"

"It varies. It really just depends on what we're in the mood to do."

"Like pickpocketing a lupine college student for example." Little John said knowingly. "Has a fifty percent chance of triggering an Asshole Veruca encounter."

"Yeah, eheh. It truly does." Manic said with a chuckle.

"You mention you've done some heists as well." Akira recalls.

"We have. Usually they're in the form of nighttime burglaries but no matter what, we only steal from people who are way too well-off or criminals who probably stole the stuff themselves."

"Like Robin Hood would do."

"Exactly. Half the profits we make off loot goes towards folks in Geno City who aren't as well off as those in Cyber City."

"And the rest?" Johnny questioned.

"Whatever is left over from whatever we spend on or give to the community goes to us. We don't scrimp when it comes to our charity. We spare no expense in how we give back. So whatever is leftover from that and no matter how much is left over, that leftover bit goes to Little John and I."

"Then your cut of the loot from the Palace should be no different then."

"I'll have to really convince some of my buyers for some of these loots but I think I can procure you four your cuts. Depending on how much of a percentage you each want from the total sum." Little John said to the group.

"We'll wait and see what you come back with. If my cut isn't going towards myself, it'll be going towards acquiring new materials to produce more infiltration tools." Johnny told him.

"Oh, I can grab you the materials you want from some of my channels."

"How good are you at getting the stuff?"

"You'd all be amazed with what I can find through my connections in spite of the so-called "Anton's Edict" that seems to exist for me only." Little John answered with a knowing smile. "After all, half of the good stuff here are things I've bartered or negotiated for. I even once got Jeck some of the items you see at Rockwell's."

"That's true, he did." Manic points to the pinball machine nearby. "He once obtained some parts to repair the pinball machine there simply through doing odd jobs for many of his contacts."

"The loot you guys scored will be handy items to earn a profit on as A: They're not in the system, B: No good contact will be asking too many questions on where they came from and C: They have no prior history until now." Little John added. "It's not just people you'll be helping through the Metaverse, you've also got a decent means of earning mobiums without having to rob a bank, find materials that could only be found in speciality shops and having items to decorate your place or gift to other people."

"Y'know, I never thought of that…" Manic grinned at the idea. "Looks like we all got a means of extra income~"

"Well, there you go..."

"With the kinda cash we get from this and we save enough of it, we could possibly buy Jean a camper van."

"That's a great idea!"

"Yeah! That way, she'll have a proper place to live until we she gets back on her feet."

"We'll remember to lift as much loot the next time we go into Anton's Palace." Johnny tried to reach for the last chip in the bowl but Little John beat him to it and ate the chip. "Bloody heck, what's with your appetite?"

"I'm a big eater man." Little John retorted with a chuckle. "When there's good food around and no hungry mouths present, they're tend to disappear whenever I'm around."

"Isn't your size ever a problem in the heists?"

"Only if I'm in a role I ain't well suited for. I know my own limits." The brown hedgehog replied, patting his gut. "Plus, it's not all fat you're seeing on me; there's muscle too. I'm a sumo wrestler in training and Manic can tell you on how I am in a street fight."

"I've seen him do it, it's true." Manic added. "He takes his sumo wrestling seriously and he can throw hands as good as any of us. I once saw him knock a dude down on his ass with a palm thrust."

"Maybe you can give us a demonstration of it sometime." Akira says to Little John. "Show me a few moves."

"Aside from sumo wrestling, I'd sometimes go down to the local boxing gym with Manic. We'd know some of the guys there and there's this one dude who'd go to it for routine training. Son of the late local legend Bruiser Brady who's bit of a grumpy ass and rather short-tempered to boot but a damn good fighter in his own right, even if he's got issues with the law. We can take you out to come see a match with him sometime."

"Yeah, he's a pretty cool as a boxer though." Manic added as well. "Plus, he is an unstoppable force of nature in the ring and even out of it when he's staying out of trouble."

"As long as you're not the one on the receiving end or meeting him in a street fight that is."

"If we have the time and opportunity for it, then sure." Akira nodded. "If he doesn't get arrested in the meantime."

"Got any stories from Golden Bay City you can tell us about?" The stout brown hedgehog asks.

"There was this time..."

'...We talked away, trading a few funny stories around the table with some laughs to be had into the evening til it was eventually time for me to head home... I can't recall the last time where I actually enjoyed a social meet-up like that with other people over mundane topics... It's nice just to chat over absolute nonsense for a change...'

To Be Continued...