Chapter 19: Ambush!?
The sound of combat continued to echo through the café as the Tyrant's wrath rained down around them. The heavy guns of the docked warship rang out while the drones of the airship sounded above them. Shells and bombs landed everywhere, turning the ruined city into more of a wasteland than ever. How the bombardments avoided the hideout despite a shot landing just outside, the Thieves would never know. At least they managed to get a good night's sleep despite the bombardments. Not that they would voice their opinion on it as they huddle around the map.
"So, who is our next target?" Shinya asks to Tsuchiya. She hums in response, glancing between the next two locations. Both were located in the western part of the city and labelled as red prisons. Only much larger than what Kamoshida had. And one of them had very uncertain rumours flying around it.
"We'll go for this one." She taps on a location located in the farthest west portion. "It's a prison camp, so more of the Resistance will be there. But… there have been many rumours about that place. And about the General in charge there. Reika." The dropping of a cup from Tae draws all eyes to her, as she stares at the map.
"Reika, you say? She's here?" Tae asks with narrow eyes as all eyes turn to her.
"Do you know her Tae?" Sae asks, with Tae giving a huff in response, folding her arms irritably.
"Yeah, I do. Reika Ichino and I were in the same class. We both had dreams of diving into the medical world. But while I was brought down due to my corrupt boss, Reika just seemed to get higher and higher. Last I heard, she became the lead Neurosurgeon in Japan, with her experimenting on serums for some reason. And she recently told me that she is a supporter of Shido." Tae growls that last part out with disdain. "Why she stills supports him in privet, I'll never understand."
"Another Shido supporter? Ain't anyone seeing a pattern here?" Ryuji asks the others, suddenly feeling very angry and concerned.
"I do. And I don't like it." Akechi comments while folding his arms. Just as everyone let that information stew inside their minds, Kusumoto bursts into the café with a spring in his step.
"Commander! Our scouts reported that Reika is leaving the prison!"
"She's what?" Tsuchiya asks as Kusumoto jumps onto the table.
"That's right! She's taking a batch of prisoners in an armoured truck to the main camp, located in the eastern part of the city. And the report indicates she is leading the caravan herself!" He draws out a line, showing the path she is taking to the east. "This is our best chance to strike!"
"I don't know… This seems too convenient." Toshiro replies, glancing at the map. They had taken out three of the generals, and now one of them just so happened to be leading a convoy of prisoners? It seemed too good to be true. "Why would she do something like this when we have taken out three of the other generals? It makes no sense to me."
"Either way, if this information is correct, then we have an opportunity to strike." Tsuchiya replies, glancing over the map. "The rumours that we heard from that place… it sounds inhumane."
"What exactly have you heard from it?" Ohya asks, leaning forward.
"I'd rather not say…" She replies, shaking her head as Toshiro lets out a sigh.
"I don't feel comfortable about this at all. But if you are determined about this Tsuchiya, then I suppose we are doing this. But if we are going to do this, then it would be wise that we split our forces up." He leans on the table, analysing the map before nodding his head. "I believe the same teams we used on the raid on Kamoshida will work best in this situation, but with some changes. Ren, your team will consist of Makoto, Haru, Ryuji, Ann, Mishima, Yoshida-san, Yusuke, Morgana, Kawakami, Sumire and Tsuchiya. You'll be attacking the base. While Iwai will have Ohya, Taw, Sojiro, Erina, Chihaya, Shinya, Isara, Akechi, Sae, Tao, Hifumi and Futaba. You'll be ambushing the convoy."
"What about you and Yuki-san?" Erina asks, noting how they had been left out.
"We will be staying here. I can't help but shake this bad feeling in my stomach, and knowing how much of a liability I am in a fight, I believe it best I remain here." Toshiro replies, glancing at Yuki. "The same reason applies to Yuki-san as well."
"I'm afraid so. This kimono does not leave much room for moving." Yuki admits, patting down her kimono. "I fear I would only slow you down. So allow me to prepare refreshments for you all when you return. Although… I admit that I can't help but feel worried for you all."
"We'll be fine. We survived worse." Ren comments before giving a thoughtful look. "Still, will you two be alright here by yourselves? I know we left you here alone last time, but are you absolutely sure you want to stay here?"
"We are. Given the terrain, swift movement is needed. And we would only slow you down." Toshiro replies, glancing at the map. "But, I can't help but second guess myself."
"Well, it won't be too bad. This place is a safe zone for us. You'll be fine so long as you stay in here." Morgana comments, bobbing his head up and down. "We'll head out now and strike both targets. With any luck, we'll be done before they know we're even there." As Toshiro watched everyone bar him, Yuki and Kusumoto, leave the café, he couldn't help but feel a nervous feeling crawl at the back of his mind.
"I have a bad feeling about this…"
It wasn't hard to find the convoy, considering how much of a ruckus they were making. A precision of troops surrounding a truck with a tank following and leading. All marching in a single line through a ruined street.
"This will be a tough one." Gecko remarks, looking at the two tanks. "Those tanks could easily blow us away."
"I can take one of them out. But the other might turn tail." Isara comments beside him. Gecko grunts, turning his attention back to the convoy as it comes to a halt. Right outside the building they were in.
"They've stopped?" King asks, raising an eyebrow at them. Athena and Crow narrow their eyes at the column as Oracle brings up her map.
"Should we launch our attack now?" Devil asks Fortune, who has pulled a card out. Only for Fortune's eyes to bulge out at what she drew. The Tower.
"Get down!" Medic suddenly shouts as she tackles the two of them, just as one of the tanks opens fire at their position. Followed closely by all the troopers opening fire on their position. On instinct, the team returns fire, with Isara morphing into her tank form and blasting away one of the tanks.
Before a rocket whooshes past her and slams into the wall.
"What was that!?" She cries, changing back into model form and rolling into cover. Shadow glances out a window, spying on three figures on a roof opposite them. Each one is a new variant of the trooper, holding rocket launchers of their own.
"We have Rocketiers!" She calls out, sniping one of them and forcing the other two into cover. Unfortunately, she draws the attention of the rear tank as it aims its barrel at her. The tank fires, its shell hissing past Shadow's head as it slams into the building behind them.
"Agilao!"
"Kouga!"
Boss and Gecko launch their magic against the tank, scorching its hull, but fail to pierce through. The two of them hurry away from the window as the tank aims its turret at them before it is engulfed by curse magic from Crow, eroding its armour away and leaving a small hole open in the top. Big enough for Medic to cast a Frelia spell right inside, detonating its ammo and sending the turret flying into the sky.
"Alright! Tanks are down!" Devil remarks, laying down a spread of rounds at the troopers. "Let's finish these guys off and get inside that truck!"
"Hang on!" Oracle suddenly shouts just as the doors to the back of the truck open. With four umbrella-wielding foes, three drummers and two brutes bounding out the back alongside the two troopers driving it. While on the roof of the three houses outside, more forces form along it.
"More of them!?" Guernica shouts, ducking into cover as they all open fire at them.
"Did they know we were coming!? And where is Reika!? Isn't she supposed to be here!?" Erina shouts, summoning her Partisan and slamming it on the two troopers leaving the truck.
"That's what I was trying to tell you!" Oracle shouts over the gunfire with a grimace.
"It's a trap!"
A medical facility. That's what Reika's prison was. At least that is what it was trying to look like, as a mishmash of a hospital, prison and science lab all merged into one. It makes Kamoshida's look tame in comparison. But there was one thing that was evident to the infiltration team.
"Security looks light." Queen points out to the few troopers patrolling the area.
"Maybe the rest of them are hiding inside?" Skull offers.
"It is possible. No doubt news of her compatriot's defeats would have her on edge." Fox comments, rubbing his chin. Joker's eyes flow over the building, looking for any way in before landing on a third-story window. The glass and wooden frame are long gone, allowing easy access inside.
"I've found are way in." Joker comments, pointing at the window. The rest of the team looks it over, contemplating the entrance as Queen nods her head.
"It looks secure enough. None of the sentries are near it either." She comments, tapping her chin. "Although, the one standing nearby is a bit too close." She nods her head to the sentry standing on a balcony, gazing out over the streets. Joker silently nods, glancing at Spring as she takes an arrow out and aims at the trooper. She waits, watching as the trooper turns around to walk around before letting the arrow loose and landing right into the head of the trooper. Killing it instantly and opening the way forward.
Without missing a beat, the Thieves grapple their way up to the window, avoiding the patrols as they enter the silent building. Medical beds lay strewn about everywhere, cabinets lying on their sides and papers strewn about.
It had all the making for a horror game. The only thing missing was blood and bodies.
With grim faces, the team pressed on through the building, encountering little to no resistance. Which only served to heighten the tension everyone was feeling. Not helped by the countless medical devices lying about the place. Each one with a hat person chained to them. Their eyes were wide and void of life.
"What has she done to these people?" Tsuchiya asks with horror, seeing the countless synergies lining the tables. For Joker, this was hitting too close to home as he mentally focused on the large storage door before them.
"I'm more worried about not encountering any enemies." Mona quips as Violet and Fox move up to the door. "This place is really creeping me out."
"Oracle? How are things on your end?" Joker asks into the headset, but all he gets in return is static. "Oracle? Can you hear me?"
"Joker? What's wrong?" Noir asks, noting the concerned look on his face.
"I can't get through to Oracle. All I'm getting is static." Joker tells her, a frown on his face.
"That's not good." Spring comments worriedly as Panther shakes her head.
"Let's just find anyone still alive, get out of here and join the others." Panther adds as Fox and Violet open the door. Before them was a large dark room devoid of life. At the back of their minds, a voice screamed at them to turn around. Yet they pressed on, weapons raised as they entered the room. Tsuchiya turned on a light attached to her gun, lighting up a small portion of the room.
Finding nothing but boxes and more medical beds strewn about the room.
"Anyone see a door we can use?" Outlaw asks, trying to peer into the darkness.
"I'm not seeing anything." Tsuchiya replies, slowly scanning the walls. Joker hums to himself, quickly doing a check on his gun. Nothing about this felt right. Minimal guards and nothing on the inside?
"Joker! Come in!"
"Oracle? What's wrong?" Joker asks, grabbing everyone's attention. The sound of heavy gunfire could be heard, along with explosions and the casting of magic, as Oracle was seemingly moving about over the headpiece. "What's going on over there? It sounds like a warzone." But it was her following words that plunged a knife into everyone's chests.
"Never mind that! Get out of there! It's a trap!"
With a slam, the door behind them closes shut as lights from above turn on. Blinding them as a laugh echoes around them.
"Joker!? Can't you hear me!?" Oracle yells into the headset before ducking under some dust falling from above. Next to her, Crow blasts the offending shotgun-wielding trooper with Eiga before ducking back into cover.
"Oracle? What's wrong?" He asks before firing off a few shots.
"I don't know! I just lost connection with Joker!" She shouts back as Fortune unloads a clip at a brute. It leaps forward, intending to crush them before being blasted out of the sky by King's dual laser guns.
"We can't stay here! We have to pull back!" Athena calls out, sending a Megidola towards the armoured truck. Managing to dent its armour severely while catching a few unfortunate troopers next to it.
"We try and move now, and we'll be shot to pieces!" Boss yells back, pointing a thumb at the three rooftops. "They have us pinned down!"
"And our exit behind us is blocked off." Gecko grumbles, reloading his gun just as a brute charges towards him up the stairs. Without batting an eyelid, he lets the brute swing a punch, only for its fist to be stopped cold. With a grin, Gecko counters back with an Oni-Kagura, sending the brute back down the stairs as it slams into three unfortunate troopers, with Medic finishing them off with a Frelia.
"Can't Isara just blast us out of here!?" Devil cries, mowing down a drummer and two troopers as they rush between the umbrella-wielding foes.
"Not while those two Rocketiers are still out there!" Shadow calls back, firing a shot at an approaching sumo thrower. "So long as they are here, Isara is in danger!"
"I'd rather not be blown up, thanks!" Isara quips from Oracle's side, covered in dust. Oracle frowns as she looks at the map. A sea of red filled her screen while two icons indicating the Rocketeers hid on two of the roofs. So long as they remained, Isara could not change into tank form. And without her to lead the charge, they were stuck in this building until they were overrun.
And with how a brute managed to rush up the stairs before Gecko took care of it, it was clear they were running out of time. But even if they wanted to, how could they reach them while an army stood in their way? Sure, Shadow could potentially snipe them, but the other would diver deeper into cover instead.
It made her wish Outlaw was here as she turned her attention to getting back in touch with Joker.
"Shadow! Can't you snipe them if you get higher?!" Guernica asks, sending rounds towards their foes.
"Maybe. But I'll need covering fire to do so!" Shadow calls back, eyes falling on the nearby stairs.
"If it's covering fire you need, then it's cover you'll get!" Erina shouts, firing at the Anti-Social forces before summoning a Great Shining Partisan on them. Managing to make a good portion of them forgetful. Nodding her head in thanks, Shadow rushes up the stairs as everyone pours fire on their enemies.
After what felt like thirty minutes of nonstop climbing, Shadow finally reached the highest floor she could reach. Giving her a perfect field on the two hiding Rocketeers. She glances between the two, signalling out the easiest one to snipe, before settling her crosshairs on the one hiding on the roof to her left.
The moment she did so, she took the shot, sending the round clean through the Rocketeer's head. Just as she racks the bolt, she sees the other Rocketeer aiming its missile launcher right at her. Not even attempting to aim at it, Shadow rushes from the window and jumps through a hole in the floor. Just as a missile slams into her sniper nest.
Falling down, Shadow activates her grapple to halt her descent just as she is about to crash right into the floor.
"Shadow! You okay!?" Medic shouts, seeing her almost crash onto the floor. Shadow winces for a moment, feeling her right arm hurt at the joint as she joins the others.
"Think I injured my arm from the drop. But other than that, I'm fine." She reports, glancing over to Oracle. "I took out one of them, but its friend fired back at me." Bullets ping off the concrete walls while Devil manages to hit a shielder with a Psio spell. Sending it wandering wide before being gunned down by King.
"I saw its buddy run from cover when it fired its rocket at you!" Guernica calls out, pointing over to a shrouded area underneath one of the buildings. "He's hiding in there!"
"Wish we had Teach or Noir with us." King remarks, leaning against the concrete wall. "They would take them out easily."
"How did they even know Isara would be with us anyway?!" Devil asks, spinning the barrels to cool them off. "Let alone know we would even be here!?"
"Something we can once we are out of this!" Crow shouts back, glancing over at where the Rocketier was hiding. "Right now, that foe is stopping us from getting out of this and rescuing Joker and the others! If we are in an ambush, then there's no doubt they are also!"
Guernica and Erina glance around, seeing the determined looks on everyone as Oracle continues to try and contact Joker. Glancing over to where the last Rocketeer was hiding, the two of them sigh in unison before nodding to each other.
"We'll take it out." Erina says, grabbing their attention. "Give us cover, and Guernica and I can rush in. Once it's down, Isara can mope up everything else, and we can get out of here."
"Are you sure? That's a lot of ground to cover." Fortune asks, motioning her head to the open field.
"We are." Guernica replies, loading a fresh mag. "Just keep them off us, and we'll work our magic." The moment she said that, she began to glow crimson. "In fact, how about I even the score a little? Sister's Promise!" In a flash of crimson fire, a duplicate of Guernica forms next to her. Dressed in a white version of her outfit and calmly looking blue hair. The two share a nod as they and Erina ready themselves to charge.
"Fine. Not like we have a choice." Athena remarks, spinning her two pistols in her hand. "On my mark, we open fire as one." She tells the others as they all reload their weapons. While the trio tense up, ready to sprint. "Mark!"
As one, the team opened fire on the Anti-Social troops, forcing them into cover. At that moment, Erina, Guernica and her duplicate rush over the ground. With bullets landing all around them as they dive into the building. Finding the last remaining Rocketier gazing at them in surprise and shock.
"Light's out!" Guernica shouts as the trio pepper the foe with rounds, the Rocketeer dissipating into darkness not long after. But before the trio could celebrate, a trooper wielding a shotgun rushes up to them, aiming directly at Guernica.
Just as it fired, Guernica's double jumped in the way, taking the shot as Erina blasted the trooper in the head. As Guernica's double started to vanish, she turned around and gave her a sisterly smile before vanishing into the aether.
"Thanks sis…" Guernica says quietly as she and Erina get behind cover. The troopers outside advancing towards them. "Think they know we succeeded?" She asks Erina. Before she could answer, a flash of blue azure erupted from the building, prompting a smirk from them both.
"Oh. I think they do." Erina comments, just as Edelweiss smashes through the building the Thieves were using as cover. Blasting away at the Anti-Social force before letting a scourge of missiles fly towards the roofs. Taking out numerous enemy forces and forcing those that remained to retreat.
And on top of Edelweiss, the rest of the Thieves waved over to the two to join them. Not even waiting a second, Guernica and Erina rush over and hop on top of the Edelweiss as she begins to move towards Marika's prison.
They were safe. But the others needed their help.
Laughter rang around Joker and the others as their eyes adjusted to the light. Only now, they were wishing they didn't. For around them, strapped down to tables lining the upper half of the room, countless hat-people groaned in pain while an array of syringes and needles extended towards them.
There were even some saw, claw, drill and hammer devices located near several of the beds. While around them, standing on top of the catwalks, was a whole squad of troopers aiming down at them from above. And sitting on a chair connected to a moving arm was Marika. She was dressed in a scientist's clothing and blue gloves, her blond hair tied into a ponytail behind her.
"I can't believe how easily you walking into this." She tells them with a giant grin, leaning forward on her chair. "Who knew it would be so easy to trick you with a simple lie."
"We knew that report was too good to be true…" Sensei remarks bitterly to himself. Marika ignores Sensei, her eyes falling on Tsuchiya as her grin widens.
"So, you are the infamous Tsuchiya, leader of the Phantom Resistance. I expected someone like you to be a little…older." Marika remarks with a smirk at her barb. One that Tsuchiya was eager to reply.
"And you are shorter than what I expected you to be, Marika." She snarks back, eyes glaring at Marika as Queen sighs at them.
"Well, don't you have a smart mouth? I wonder how long that can last in my experiment." Marika replies, her smirk not leaving her lips. "I have been dying to have new test subjects for my serum, and now you all happened to appear before me? How my name days have all come at once."
"Whatever plan you have for us, Marika, it won't scare us." Joker shouts back to her. But that only caused her to laugh back at him.
"Oh, you silly boy. My experiment is not being used on you." She snaps her fingers, and a door opens on the far side of the room. Where four hat people are tied down to beds with syringes next to their necks behind a glass window. "You are to TEST my experiment!"
At that moment, the syringes are injected into the hat people's necks. They cry out in pain as the serum inside gets to work, contorting their bodies with horrific sounds as they transform into brutes. Breaking free of their restraints as their eyes glow a deep red, grabbing anything they could find and slamming on the window. Which surprisingly managed to hold up under the impacts.
"What did you do to them!?" Tsuchiya cries out in horror as the Thieves stand in muted silence. Never had they seen anything like this happen before. And the mere sight of it made them sick.
"Did you not like it? This is a serum I'm working on to turn our men into super soldiers! Although, it is lacking in a few key areas. Mental awareness and sense of self the most prominent." Marika casually mentions, her smile never leaving her face. "But soon, I will develop the ultimate formula. Our military will become the strongest in the world under our glorious ruler! All shall bow before our Crimson Emperor! Lord Shido!"
"SHIDO!?" The Thieves all scream at once, anger filling their veins at hearing that man's voice once again. Tsuchiya glances at them, seeing the anger in their eyes at hearing that person's name. And judging by Marika's reaction, she was taken aback by the anger as well. Before her mind pieced the dots together.
"I expected such a response, but your anger is unnatural. Wait… those masks you wear… You are the Phantom Thieves!?" She shouts, confirming their suspicions of her being connected to her shadow and real self. Not that they cared. "What a glorious opportunity! I can test my creations AND eliminate the Thieves at the same time!" She shouts, slamming a hand on her chair.
Lowering the glass door kept the mutated hat-people locked away.
"Let's begin the experiment!" She shouts as the four mutated brutes charge forward towards the Thieves. The four brutes leap into the air, aiming to crush them under their hands, only to miss as the Thieves jump away. With a glance, the Thieves could see the hesitation in Tsuchiya's eyes as she looked at the four brutes with pity.
"Tsuchiya. We can't save them." Violet tells her, aiming her gun at one of them. "All we can do now is end their suffering." Tsuchiya glances at Violet, conflict in her eyes, before looking back at the four brutes, with a lone tear going down her eye.
"I'm sorry…" She whispers, grabbing her Sten and firing at the four brutes, with the Thieves, baring Teach and Noir, joining in on the barrage. Only to gasp in shock as their rounds bounced off the brutes like ping-pong balls.
"Teach! Noir!" Queen shouts, with the two rushing forward and aiming their guns at them. As one, they both fire their explosives at the brutes, engulfing them in a terrific explosion. Only for their shock to increase as they march out unscathed.
"Aw, come on! That ain't fair!" Outlaw shouts in annoyance as Marika cackles like a madwoman.
"Forget it! Your weapons are powerless against my super soldiers!" Marika boasts as the four brutes march forward.
"But can they stand against this? Raoul! Maeiga!" Joker shouts, blasting the four brutes with curse magic. Quickly followed by the others, each one of them enveloping the brutes in magic.
Only for the four brutes to emerge unscathed.
"What the hell!?" Skull shouts in dismay as the team finds themselves being pushed up against a wall.
"It's no use! Nothing can stop them when they stand!" Marika gloats even more, almost bouncing in glee as her creations close in on the Thieves. A sight that made Teach's blood boil.
"You take joy in this, do you? Gloating about how powerful they are after doing who knows what to them?" She asks, glowing in a crimson aura. "Well, let's see how strong they are when they are planted head-first into the ground! Centaur Rush!" With a powerful cry, Cheron charges forward from Teach's mask. Slamming into the four brutes and knocking them into the ostrich position. Much to Marika's shock and horror.
"Now! Triple Threat!" Joker shouts as he, Panther and Skull move into a triangle formation around the four brutes, wailing into them from all sides and kicking up a cloud of dust. By the time it settled, the four brutes had reverted back into normal hat-people. Their breaths were shallow as the team gathered around them. Queen, Mona and Spring desperately trying to heal their wounds.
"No! My invincible super soldiers!" Marika shouts in dismay, seeing them being taken down before glaring at the Thieves with utter hatred. "You will pay for this! Don't think you can escape!" At that, all of the troopers aim their guns at them, surrounding them from all sides from the upper level.
"Damn it… we're still trapped." Mona groans as the team looks around for any suitable cover. Noir and Teach readier their explosive weapons to bring the catwalk down, but even then, it looked to be a tough job.
"This is the end of you all! Soon, I will find out just what makes you tick. Be ready to be my newest guinea pigs in the name of science!" Marika shouts as the troops ready themselves to attack. But before she could give the order to attack, a low rumbling could be felt outside the building. Before the roof above Marika was suddenly destroyed by a barrage of missiles, followed quickly by a storm of rounds that shredded the troopers standing on the catwalk.
Using the sudden surprise attack to their advantage, Joker and the others grapple up to Marika's level, engaging the Anti-Social troops and knocking them to the ground. Just as Gecko's team grapple in from the roof to join the others before surrounding Marika on all sides. Who never stopped glaring even when surrounded by guns.
"Damn Thieves… You won't get away with this!"
"Sorry to disappoint you, Marika. But we will." Medic says, grabbing her attention before removing her mask. Shocking her. "I am deeply disappointed in you. Experimental serum? Inhumane practice? Disregard for human life? You're not the friend I once knew."
"Tae… what are you doing here, you failure? You should be hated after taking the blame from your boss? Why do you continue to practice medicine when you can't even help one person?" Marika asks condescendingly, hoping to get a rise out of her. Only to be shocked that Medic refused to grab the bait.
"Why should it care for you anymore? It's not my job at risk here…" She replies, putting the mask back on. "It's yours." At that, she fires her rifle at Marika's head, ending the crazed scientist's plans once and for all. But at the same time, all the captured hat people vanish as well, including the four that were mutated into brutes.
The message was clear to the Thieves as they quickly left the abandoned base. And such crimes would continue to exist so long as the Crimson Tyrant continued to rule.
It wasn't that long after both teams regrouped that it was decided to return to Leblanc, quickly falling back through the ruins towards the hideout. Disgruntled faces and furrowed brows are present on all of them as they jump through destroyed houses. The desperate fighting they endured from the ambushes had rattled them. Toshiro's warnings about how convenient this all was ringing true.
The only question ringing in their minds, though, was how? How did they know they were coming? The only way they would know was that someone told them. And that left only one person in their mind who could have. And they had every intention of questioning them when they returned.
But what they found in Leblanc was not what they were expecting, with Toshiro lying sprawled on the floor and Yuki missing with plates and cups lying all over the floor.
"Toshiro!" Erina shouts, rushing to his side as everyone else piles into the hideout. Tae quickly started checking up on him as Toshiro slowly swam back to consciousness. "What happened? Where is Yuki-san and Kusumoto?" Toshiro glances around, seeing the concerned looks he is receiving from everyone as he gives out a cough.
"It was… the spy. He punched me in the stomach…" Toshiro replies, shaking his head before a look of fear forms on his face. "And Yuki… my mother was kidnapped!"