Casino Advantage

by Vocarin

A girl yearning for justice but shackled by order and laws. A boy cast out of his old life for a crime he didn't commit. Apart they wouldn't have a chance at the table, but together they will play against the longest odds for the greatest prize of all: liberty. But the dice are loaded, the power players will never fold, and the house always wins…

22. Big Money Banker

Author's Notes: Here we are, guys, another Palace raid and another big fight. Who's stoked for it? I know I am.

UltimateCCC: Absolutely. Can't get better any other way, right?

CrimsonDemon666: Thanks! I'm glad you liked the chapter, especially the human element. And infiltrations are always a blast to write. Hope you like the run to follow.

Also, I know I said it before but I'll say it again here. Some of the stuff you'll read about in these chapters is based on real-life science, but do NOT try it at home, or in your garage or your backyard or at some abandoned parking lot. Actually, don't try it ever. That would be best. If you do and burn down something important, I'm not taking any heat for it.

Thanks as always to Firion for his help and feedback, and thanks to you guys who take time out of your day to read these bits of madness. Take care, godspeed, and enjoy.

Big Money Banker

Akira nearly pitched to the ground when they crossed over. His side ached like he'd been opened up again and his shoulder throbbed from his new usage of his grapple gun. His longest, toughest run by far had drained him dry. He stabilized himself, hands on his knees and breaths strained, and waited until he could stand without wobbling over.

Morgana wasn't much better. The cat flopped to the ground and even the rancid stench of the dumpster couldn't rouse him.

"You two look terrible," Ann remarked as she picked Morgana up. "Don't tell me you want to take Kaneshiro on like this."

"We'll be… fine… after tonight," Akira answered between pants.

"A Phantom Thief can handle anything," Morgana added, squirming in her arms.

"This is ridiculous," Makoto-senpai told them. "If you fight in this state, you'll get hurt. You could end up doing something permanent."

"So what's your… suggestion?" Akira asked, supporting himself on the wall to straighten up. "Leave it for a few days? Give Kaneshiro a chance to hurt you or Sae-san?"

"If it's at the cost of your health–" She jerked as though remembering something. She scrambled to get to her phone, went marble white when she saw her screen, and called someone. She muttered to herself as the phone rang, and rang. Then, "Sis, it's me... What? Yes, I'm fine. I was out studying with some friends... Wait, you heard what from who? No, I haven't seen anyone like that... Yes, I've been careful at night... You really think so? Okay, I'll lock up like you say... Anyone I don't know. Got it... Yes, I have the number. I'll be careful; I can even stay with my study friend from school. That would be safer... Okay, I'll do that... What? Um, just a minute." Makoto-senpai looked at Ann. "She wants to have a police car keep watch outside your house to be sure we're safe. She's pretty insistent. That's a lot to ask of you, though."

Ann thought about for a second, then shrugged. "Sure. If it keeps her from getting worried and doing something that will get her in trouble, then it's a small price to pay. It's good for us, too."

"Are you sure? Won't the neighbors wonder about you?"

"Let them. A bit of intrigue and controversy is good for a model's image."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's fine, we'll make it work."

Makoto-senpai uncovered her phone. "Hi, Sis. Yes, it's okay with the girl I'm staying with. I'll text you the address... Yes, I'll keep all the receipts and pay her back. What about you? Are you looking after yourself? I can bring you some clothes or food if you want... Well, if you're sure... Okay, I'll talk to you later. Take care." Senpai ended the call with a heavy breath. "Someone called her office and said they had something on me. That must be Kaneshiro. She left me messages while I was 'over there.' She sounded bad."

"She's not going to come looking for you, is she?" Ann asked.

"No, I talked her out of that. It was close, though. I think she was just getting ready to leave."

Ann sighed in relief. "We got lucky."

"That means we're on the clock," Akira concluded grimly. "And if you don't stay over with friends often then she's going to put the details in order soon and start asking questions. Why were you studying with a girl a grade below you? Why didn't anyone see you at home the last night or two? We have to close this down fast."

Senpai bit her lip. "I don't like it. You're in really bad shape, and if Kaneshiro's Shadow is going to be as bad as you say…"

"We're not stopping now," Akira answered with finality. "I'm taking Morgana home. Yusuke can handle the calling cards, and I'll leave the loot to you three. Tomorrow's going to be a fight, so get some rest."

Yusuke nodded. Ryuji was quiet, and the girls seemed troubled, but neither spoke.

Akira hefted his cat into the bag and set off, slowly, for home. The first few blocks were bad enough that he popped some of Takemi-sensei's pills. He went slow until they kicked in, and then he was only weak and exhausted, not also sick and sore. He avoided contact with anyone and kept to himself more than usual, eventually making it through his familiar district and pushing open the door to Leblanc.

Togo-san was playing shogi with the regulars again, and the spectators were along the side of her table or behind it. They were perched over the back of the adjoining seats to watch the game or to try to see down her shirt. Half the conversations stopped when people saw Akira, but he pushed out a smile and waved as he moved past, even greeting some of the customers by name. They accepted that he was at least not as brittle as that night and went back to their game. Akira kept up the act even as he supported his weight on the bar.

That took him up to Sakura-san, who was drying dishes. "Another busy night," he remarked.

Akira gestured to the clientele. "They seem pretty happy. A gorgeous girl's only half the reason for that – you're doing well."

Sakura-san shrugged. "It's going okay, I guess. I heard you took the day off school."

"I had a doctor's note."

"I saw your message when I opened up this morning. Expected to see you upstairs, but you're coming back now? Where've you been all day? You look like crap."

"Thanks. Good to know I'm on the mend."

"I'm serious, kid. Management likes to know this stuff. I won't take the fall for you acting like an idiot, but I also don't want you sick or hurt. What's going on?"

Akira swiped some unfinished coffee and curry off a plate left behind by a customer. "It's a long story. I saw Takemi-sensei and she said it's nothing serious."

"Really? In that case I'd love to see what she'd get excited over. What's going on that you can't tell me?"

"Are my reports still going to my mother?"

"That's up to Management. I really can't say."

"Then I really can't say what the problem is," Akira answered between spoonfuls, "assuming that I have one."

Sakura-san sighed and adjusted his glasses. "Look, what happened between you and her is your business. Seems you're back to your normal self, so that's something–"

"But you're going to stick your nose in it, even though you just said it's none of your business?"

"Knock it off. If you don't want to talk about the gory details, fine. But a lot of guys take something big like that and turn it inward. They abuse themselves to feel like they're in control of their lives. Eating disorders, fights, or they turn destructive and wind up running in the streets. It happens, and while you're a mouthy little punk some of the time, you don't deserve that."

Akira shrugged. "Point taken. I have some things going on and they're taking a lot out of me. I have to keep up the pace for a little while longer, but I won't push myself more than I have to."

"And you'll go to the doctor if you don't get better," Sakura-san stated.

"Yeah, that too."

"You only have one body, kid, and permanent injuries will ruin your life. Don't push it."

"I understand."

A customer called Sakura-san over. Akira used the chance to get up the stairs. He laid Morgana out on his cat bed – the motions weren't enough to wake him up – and sat heavily on his own. He popped two more pills and he was out before he had even laid down.

7 7 7

A certain fellow in a flashy shirt walked through Shibuya, humming with appreciation for his past and future activities. It was too easy, hooking these clowns. Get through their guard, show them what some extra money could get them, and the rest falls into line. The guys you already knew were never going to crack, they were easy enough to pick out and they actually made things smoother. The ones who wanted more in their hands easier and faster than their friends made the best prey, especially when you could play them against anyone who had what they wanted. No matter the details, someone always missed the barb for the worm.

Even if the steps were routine by now, the thrill was always there, stronger than any drug that lasted longer than any woman. It was time to get to work – the boss needed his due.

He passed by that soft cream parlor Gina liked so much – man, was she regretting her life choices right about now – and watched the passing crowds in front of him. He picked out some likely candidates and made his pitch, hooking one of them in no time. The same tricks, the same outcome, everything was over except the crying. He pulled out the card with his number and handed it over, promising to be in touch.

"Uh," the sucker said a moment later, "who is Kaneshiro Junya?"

"What?" He looked at the card in question, then at the ones in his hand, and went stiff.

Those weren't his business cards. His were still there, a frantic check revealed, but one was black and red and had different script on them than they should have:

Kaneshiro Junya,

You are guilty of crimes of greed committed against countless men, women and minors. Their suffering means nothing to you, so you have fed upon it to enrich yourself. Extortion, theft, bribery and prostitution are the least of your trespasses.

But that all ends today. Your past excuses nothing, so we will make you confess to everything you have ever done from your own mouth. You are a counterfeit human being, and for the sake of all of your victims we will steal your heart and do what you think the police cannot: put an end to your entire criminal enterprise and bring you to justice.

Run if you like. Fight if you can. It will not matter; you cannot hide anymore,

The Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

His hands shook. He grabbed the other card from that idiot and ran for the car. He made it to Lotus in record time, and there were staff outside talking to the manager, two of those cards in hand. He ran through the place and into the back room, shouting "Boss!" right as he opened the door.

He was waved to the front of the line. One of those same cards was crumpled up on the table.

"That was at the back door," the boss informed him, his voice trembling with fury. "How many people know about that door, hm? How many could have gotten there without being seen? We have cameras on that entrance and all they caught was a cat. The staff found two at the front and have no idea who did it."

"I… I found two in my pocket. I swear on my life, I have no idea how they got there."

"Of course not. This was a message. These Phantom Thieves know how we work and they're showing off. They think they can pull off a trick like this and get away with it? They're wrong." He leaned forward, eyes dangerously hard. "Call everyone. Bring them here. This needs to be addressed."

"S-sure thing, boss."

No one in the room was sensitive to 'that place,' or they would have seen Kaneshiro's Shadow leaning over the table, raging at the card. "Bring me to justice?! Break Kaneshiro Junya?! You'll suffer for even thinking that, you little bastards! Steal my heart?! Take my treasure!? Go ahead and try! You'll see what my money gets me! I'll crush every last one of you, and then I'll make you pay forever!"

7 7 7

Akira watched the flashy yakuza street soldier run off and smiled grimly. There was something poetic about employing the trick Miya-san had used on him to deliver the cards to Kaneshiro. Maybe that guy would end up skinned for his efforts, but it wasn't worth considering. It had worked, and now he just had to wait.

The day had gone as planned. Akira could only operate on what information he had on Kaneshiro's operations, so he'd begged out of class on the last period – luckily, Kawakami-sensei had been sympathetic to his 'illness' and let him go – and come to Shibuya to find the guy who had nabbed Senpai. He was a creature of habit, and once Akira knew what to look for, it was just a matter of patience and execution. Having a front row seat to his reactions tasted as sweet as the soft cream on the menu. It's done, he sent to the others. Now he just had to wait for classes to finish up before they could hit Kaneshiro's Palace.

He went to the counter and ordered the items with the highest protein count he could, fed Morgana at a corner table, and drank a fresh double coffee, adding to the caffeine and food he'd already consumed at lunch. He was shaking and feeling awful, but at least it wasn't just because he was still suffering from the day before. Morgana was doing much better, but that was also because, except for delivering the card to Lotus, he'd spent all day sleeping.

In all the planning and prep, Akira had left the revolver he'd meant to bring to Senpai at home. It hadn't been the first priority, and he didn't want to give her an unknown weapon for such a big fight. Even if they hit the Palace perfectly, this would still be a tough day for her, and she wouldn't need the distraction.

Soon enough, he got the texts indicating the others were almost at the crossover point. It was time to go. He hefted his bags, his cat on his shoulder, and headed out to meet them.

He was the first one to the spot, but only by a few minutes. Once he saw Senpai approach him, he knew he was in for an argument. Sure as a sunrise, she strode up to him, her shoulders back and her eyes stern. "How are you feeling at this moment?"

Akira grinned crookedly. "Amazing now that I've seen your lovely face, Senpai. Your hair looks especially great today. What do you use for–"

"I'm serious, Kurusu-kun," she nearly snapped.

"So am I; you really do look fantastic."

"While you look terrible. Have you checked a mirror lately?"

"No. I'm sure I'd never look away if I did."

She would be emitting steam if such were chemically possible. "If you're not fit for this, then what if something happens? Something permanent?"

Akira's smile was fearless. "Something permanent will happen – that's why we're doing this."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant, and I know that you're going to tell me to sit this one out. Not happening. I'm involved in this too and we can't afford not to have everyone there to fight a Shadow as strong as Kaneshiro."

"You could seriously injure yourself," she pressed. "You could die."

"That's always been a risk. It's not the first time we've faced it, and this is what we do. If you don't want to see me get into trouble, might I suggest you be the one who sits this one out? Then we're only down one instead of two."

"Do you think I'd really do that?"

"I have no idea. I'm just proposing it as an option."

"Is this a game to you?"

Akira stepped up to her, his patience running out. "Ask yourself that question. We're fighting for our freedom – ours and yours and Miya-san's. Are you saying that isn't worth it if someone's having an off day? What's the price on Sae-san's life if this is too much for you?"

She flinched. Ann and Ryuji came around the corner right then and gave them their space.

"We're not changing anything," Akira stated firmly, "and we're losing time talking about this. We don't have the luxury of making things perfect, so this will have to work. If my condition matters to you this much, then step up your game and come to my rescue if I need it."

Her eyes narrowed, Queen's temper heating up.

Akira's smile turned cruel. "There we are. Save that for later; you'll need it."

"You really think it's going to go the way you expect?"

"I know it won't. But I'm also ready to improvise. You're the one with the problem here."

She couldn't come back from that.

"Now," he went on, "is there anything else?"

Makoto-senpai's heels hit the pavement harder than usual, Ann's silence was icy, and Ryuji was quiet like he had been lately. Yusuke joined them, picked up on the tension, and shook his head in silence. They were present and their gear was sitting between them. Akira hummed to himself, firing up and pushing down the murky sickness that dragged at him. He checked the alley and the corners one last time, then pulled out his phone and hit TRAVEL.

The crossover came a lot harder and faster, and Joker's lunch rose in his stomach. 'That place' was snapping mad before they fully arrived. The shouts and screams around them were painfully loud, the wind bit and clawed at any exposed skin, and the entire Palace churned in its search for prey. Joker braced against it and hissed, "Damn, that's strong."

Panther and Queen flinched on arrival, and Skull grimaced as he checked his weapons.

"He's angry," Fox noted, looking around them with a hand on his sword.

Mona shook his head, ears back and teeth bared. "It's more than that. He's the most like his Shadow out of anyone we've faced, and he's got everything invested in his Palace. Such a strong connection makes this place more sensitive to his mental state, and it will also make him powerful. Whatever you put on that card must have really gotten under his skin."

Joker braced against the pain, then broke into familiar manic laughter. It pushed against the wind, defied Kaneshiro's fury, and left him with a settled stomach and a wild grin on his face.

He glanced at the others. "This is what we're here for. Let's go."

They set out, and the changes to the Palace were instantly apparent. Shadows prowled the streets in ragged patrol routes, kicking around the ATM 'citizens' and going over the area with killer intent. The Thieves had to duck out of sight more than once, and even when they got to a building that could take them up high enough, the doors and first-floor windows had six Shadows on every angle of access. That along with the sharp corners and tight alleys made open combat impossible – they couldn't kill the Shadows fast enough to not be swarmed from three sides.

Joker knew they couldn't move forward with that scenario, but they also couldn't risk waiting around. He looked up and down the streets, then caught on an idea. "Mona. Up."

The cat looked and saw the plan immediately. Jumping up onto Joker's shoulders, he hung on as Joker pulled out his grapple gun and fired. He caught on the fire escape of the fourth floor and flew up, clearing the railing and landing as softly as he could. Not speaking, he directed the cat down to let the others up. Then he took a corner by a nearby window, pulled his 10mm and set his back to the wall, and waited.

A Shadow prowled up to the window, its hot breath fetid and damp as it looked out just a few feet from where Joker hid.

The Phantom Thief slowed his breathing and touched a card with the barest tip of his finger, ready to pull and kill. The seconds dragged by as the Shadow looked around, perhaps drawn by the movement or sound outside, but it couldn't see anything and eventually moved on.

That was the decision that saved its life. Joker crouched and waved the others up, motioning for them to tread softly on the rickety structure. They climbed and kept quiet, ducking at any sign of motion. The Shadows remained ignorant, and the Thieves made it to the roof as the platform traveled ponderously overhead. They didn't even have to throw any money up.

"This is the last time we have to do this," Joker noted, checking their surroundings. "Mona, you first. I'll take the rear this time."

"Any reason why?" Panther asked.

"He can scout ahead once he's up there, see if our entrance is still good."

The cat nodded and grabbed onto the rope. He scrambled up, and Skull and Fox followed, Panther and Queen behind them. Joker watched the doors and fire escape ladder, the hairs on his neck prickling. He knew better than to risk his skin when that happened, but as he grabbed onto the rope and yanked himself up, two Shadows appeared on the roof – one from the ladder, the other from the door. "They're here!" they shouted.

Joker reacted in a flash, wrapping his legs around the rope, flipping back so he was upside down, and pulling his pistol to fire before the Shadows could move. The rounds punched holes into their masks, and that bought him the few seconds he needed to pull a jar from his bag of tricks and hurl it at their feet. White globs scattered around them and on them, binding them to the roof.

It wasn't an elemental force, but a glue bomb that would hold them and anything else in place that came up to the roof. The Shadows wrenched and fought against it, but they lost their footing and fell into the fast-acting adhesive, glaring up at the Thieves.

Joker pulled himself upright and waved.

Then they waved back. Their arms erupted from their clothes, morphing into wings, their heads breaking and elongating into dog faces lined with rows of gleaming teeth. They didn't walk through the glue because they no longer needed to – they leapt up and caught the wind, flying up after their prey.

"Hurry!" Joker called to the others. If any of them looked back, it was to fuel their upward ascent, and now it was a race to the top. Mona climbed so quickly that only his bandana could be picked out among the darkness, and once at the top he cleared the landing, slingshot out and aiming at the Shadows. Skull and Fox were up next, guns out to cover the remaining three, and when one Shadow swooped up too high, Skull lined it up and blew a fist-sized hole through it with buckshot. It choked and fell silently, plummeting to the ground. Joker didn't see it land, but he did see a lot of glowing red eyes as they all looked up. More Shadows sprouted wings – some even fused together to become larger, more vicious killers – and the enemies below them spiraled upward with teeth and talons.

Panther and Queen were up the rope. Joker pulled himself as fast as he could. The second Shadow twisted and turned in the air, compromising any clear shots the others had. As Joker reached solid ground, though, it raced up at an impossible angle, jaws open.

A hole blew into its wing as Fox leaned out over the void, held back by Skull, to get a clear shot. The Shadow's upward momentum carried it up to the platform, but through losing so much blood, it was out of the fight.

Only it wasn't there to fight. It let out a deafening scream that wavered the air around it and alerted the Shadows in the bank that the intruders were there.

Skull blew its head off a moment later, but even if the noise stopped the damage was done. The windows ahead lit up, the alarms at the door blared out, and Shadows manifested before them entire teams at a time.

And behind them, the other Shadows were rising, ready to kill.

The Thieves formed up and ran forward, fighting for every bloody inch and trying to keep up their momentum. "We can't stay out here!" Joker yelled to the others. "They'll bury us!"

"The side entrance won't work!" Panther answered. "We can't get separated or take it slow now!"

"That leaves, what, the front door?!" Skull shouted back as he shot on reflex. "You saw what they had waitin' for us!"

Queen kicked one Shadow's leg out from under it, breaking it at the knee, and punched hard enough to snap its ribs before she replied, "It's our only chance! I have an idea!"

"Do it!" Joker granted, calling fire to his hand and cutting into flesh.

Queen dug into the Shadows, stopping their advance on her own, then reversing it despite their bloodiest efforts. The others followed her, and once she had some space she glowed like the sun. "Johanna," she murmured while spattered and dripping with the gore of the Shadows.

Bright light radiated from her, whipped and hissed, gathered and growled. When it solidified, the Persona had manifested more concretely even than when she had overseen Queen's awakening. She revved and roared as the throttle was opened, concentrated force building and bucking, eager to be released.

The Thieves found a second in the fight to look on in awe. "Your Personas's… a motorcycle?" Panther got out past her disbelief. "But… she sounded completely different."

"How's that even work?" Skull asked, looking over the sleek machine and the encased mask at the front with naked interest.

"I'll give you an opening," Queen told them, astride the phantasmal vehicle. "Don't waste it." She and her Persona were incandescent, so bright they were hard to look at. She revved up then roared off, gaining speed faster than any engine could handle.

Straight at the front door.

Anything in her way was blown aside or caught fire in her passing, and the Shadows at the bank's entrance had enough survival instincts to attempt to dive out of the way just before she struck the doors like a mortar shell and kept going.

A second later another explosion went off, so strong that it blew the windows out, lit the building's interior up, and shook the ground where the Thieves stood.

"Let's go!" Mona commanded. "They'll crush her!"

That was enough to make everyone move. They disregarded fighting and ran the fastest, hardest sprint of their lives, engaging only the Shadows who grabbed at them or were left staggered by Queen's passing. They cleared the still-smoking entrance and dove into the lobby.

It was chaos. The benches and fortifications had been tossed about like children's toys, the Shadows were scattered around where Queen had struck, and the combat was already fierce. Queen was moving here and there behind cover, luring the Shadows to choke points where she could pick them off while staying out of the line of fire from the ones still on the barricades she hadn't destroyed. Shadows lay disoriented, calling out orders and trying to rally to corner her, expecting the other Thieves to have been held down outside.

It was the perfect position for the others to hit them from.

Panther ignited the air and hurled fire into the rear of the largest group of Shadows trying to corner Queen. The explosion broke their ranks, opening them up to Fox who rushed in and cut them apart with ruthless efficiency. Skull rushed the other group with pipe and sawed-off, glowing with electricity while he beat and kicked his way through them, blasting thunder as he went.

Joker realized their circumstances with a glance. He fought over to Mona and ordered, "Get into cover! They're coming from outside!"

"I'm on it! What about you?!"

Joker didn't spend any time answering. He cut down the last Shadows that were about to strike Queen in the back, waited for her to kick and punch her stragglers into pulp, and said, "You call me reckless?"

"I actually thought it through!" she snapped back. "And it worked!"

"Good, because I have another reckless idea." He pointed at the top tier of the barricade where the Shadows had an established defense, the last line before the bank's interior and a perch the Thieves couldn't breach before they got swarmed. "Want to do it again?"

She looked at him, watched as he pointed a trajectory arc, and only looked at him like he was crazy for a second before nodding. They moved forward under cover, got the right angle, then Joker put his hand around her waist and she sidled in close, holding around his neck.

She was warm through her leathers, he noted as she came against him. And she hummed with power, soft and low and immediately soothing.

Joker grinned, took aim with his grapple gun, and caught onto a chandelier. They sped through the air, clearing the top barricade, and he released the gun at just the right angle and elevation for them to drop and tumble and land just behind the Shadows.

Her humming turned harsh. He pulled a card to shock himself and amp up. They took separate sides and went to work.

The melee to follow was brutal and quick. Joker darted and ducked in to cut at the soft parts of the Shadows, which brought him close to Queen's targets. Her strikes crackled and roared as she moved, and his skin prickled when he came too close to where she was working. Once she even punched through a Shadow he was cutting into, and it threw him off and sent his head ringing. He adapted and stayed clear of her, and luckily they were finishing up before one cost the other momentum.

The Shadows were down, and Joker looked to the others now that their rear was protected. They'd gathered behind a barricade and were making the Shadows coming through the door pay a high price indeed. Fox covered one corner, his finger fast on the trigger of his Winchester, while Skull covered the other, M4 in hand and sending solid slugs through shields and armor. Mona covered them when they needed to reload, and he watched the windows on each side. When the flying Shadows poked through, they got a sling bullet to the face or a blast from one of the cat's many tricks.

Their defense was fierce, and the Shadows gathered outside of view for their next surge. Skull checked the corner, reporting, "They're bunchin' up!"

Panther took her cue. She sent a fireball arcing into the Shadows, and Mona teamed up with her. The cyclone of fire and enriched oxygen wavered and grew, consuming the Shadows or sending them running into the killing field.

Skull and Fox put them down. The stragglers were picked off and things went quiet except for the labored breathing of the Thieves.

"We make it?" Skull asked as he reloaded.

"It appears so," Fox replied, snapping a fresh mag in. "It was close a few times, but we pulled through."

"We sure did," Mona cheered. "Good work! That went way better than it could have. I was just going with whatever we had for a minute there."

Queen came down past the barricades. "That was why it worked," she put in. "Everyone adapted and worked together. Well done all around."

Joker topped off his pistol mags. "We've got a minute, so the next problem is that." He pointed at the door leading inward. "On the other side is another good kill zone," he recalled, "and things start getting tight and twisty after that. I don't know if speed will be enough."

Mona came up next to him. "Sneaking won't do it. They'll only wait a few minutes before they come looking for us, and then they could rush us when we're apart. No way they'll think we went home after this."

"What's that the Americans say?" Joker asked. "Speed, surprise and violence of action? We might not have surprise anymore, but we can use the other two."

"Unless we find a way to surprise 'em," Skull pointed out. "Then we got it again."

"That's true. What are you thinking?"

"I dunno yet. You an' Mona went through there, is there only one door?"

"That we saw."

"No." Fox pointed up at the double mirrors and the office behind them. "That must lead back into the interior. If we can break in there, we can take the high ground and surprise them. They won't expect it if we haven't gone through it."

"That's solid," Queen commented.

Joker looked around and saw the nods and agreement. "Let's do it then. Get some timber."

There was enough lying around to get what they needed. Shattered benches and doors blown apart made for good ramps and supports. In no time they had constructed a scaffold to climb up to the window. Skull took point and reported, "Fire in the hole." He brought his sawed-off up and blew two buckshot holes open. They vaulted the window frame and entered the office. Joker was last in line, and he kicked their ramp down and scattered the pieces so it wouldn't be as obvious to any newcomers where they'd gone.

Fox checked the door, then motioned them forward. They crept along the walkway, cautious of the Shadows below. As expected, there were more barricades and tiered defense structures, and the bottleneck caused by the door would have turned their entrance into a violent, short-lived mistake. Joker followed the others, and once they turned a corner and were out of sight, he told his comrades, "Good thinking, getting around that entrance. Trying to take that on, that would have been murder."

Queen looked over the ambush site. "This would be a kill zone of our own. We could wait until the reinforcements come and then hit them all at once."

Panther looked over. "Wow. You're bloodthirsty."

"That's just good tactics."

"There's a good choke point a floor down," Joker put in. "We can draw them in there and deal with them all at once. Here, we're between these Shadows and the ones up ahead."

"All right, we'll try it your way."

Joker looked down the hall. "Or we can see if the elevator still works."

Queen frowned. "Standard security procedure should involve sealing up all the side entrances. That would qualify."

He ran the key card through the reader and hit the call button. The elevator came up. "Still, it seems okay."

Mona said, "It would save us a lot of fighting if they overlooked this way down. Or if we can the shaft to skip a floor, at least. Let's try it."

A charming ding sounded and the elevator opened. Joker looked around inside as he went in, tested the bottom, and waited for any traps to spring. Nothing. He gave it a few more seconds. Still nothing. He turned to the entrance to wave the others in.

The doors slammed on him, catching him flat footed and blasting his wind out. The doors ground in to crush him and a heavy, malicious growl rumbled through the elevator car.

The doors creaked open and Joker fell to the ground, gasping for breath and clenching ribs and a collarbone that were almost definitely broken. He looked up on reflex–

–and saw two glowing red pinpricks staring back at him from the call panel at the back of the elevator.

The doors widened and jerked, teeth like a shark's bursting from callused gums. The doors swung closed again.

Fox, reacting first, spun his sword and stepped into the doorway, stabbing into the Shadow's gums. It cried out as the blade dug into its flesh, but then it growled angrily and rattled the elevator car, trying to push past the sword and get to Joker. Skull jammed his pipe into the opposite set of teeth and heaved back with whatever leverage he could get. They struggled to bring it to a shaky halt.

Joker crawled away from the door, but even through the pain he saw movement in the murk of the elevator. His hand came up on reflex and that was just enough to catch the barbed tongue that whipped out at his face. It wrapped around his forearm and twisted, the points digging at his coat sleeve and dragging on flesh but not getting through.

Then it started pulling him in.

Joker dug his heels and grabbed his dagger, jamming it into the Shadow's tongue and cutting. He sliced lengthwise, getting spattered with gunk and blood, but the Shadow's tongue split at the cut and lashed over to grab his free hand, now pulling him in by both arms. He was overbalancing and couldn't pull back hard enough, even as the Shadow's barbs shredded his coat and were digging into flesh and bone.

"Hold it open!"

Mona scurried past Fox and Skull, slicing the Shadow's tongue off entirely and cutting Joker's hands free. When the tongue split off and grew smaller appendages, the cat spun with his sword and left them severed and twitching on the ground. Another gleaming flash severed the remnants on Joker's arms, even as they moved like leeches for the blood they'd tasted.

Joker was yanked back by the collar of his coat, dragged free of the elevator by Queen and Panther. Mona darted out and the guys pulled back, letting the doors slam shut on nothing. A frustrated growl sounded, and the Shadow's jaws opened again, reaching out for them where they were injured and crowded in the hallway.

Panther pulled a white phosphorus grenade free and tossed it in, teasing the Shadow with her hand and arm then yanking back as its teeth slammed shut.

The charge went off. The white chemical flames reacted instantly, cooking the Shadow from the inside and igniting it at over 800C/1500F. The position that had been its advantage was its demise – it couldn't get away. It thrashed in agony as fire and smoke escaped its jaws, but otherwise it made no sound – even the air in its lungs was burning. It died, warped and grotesque and stuck in place.

The Thieves breathed hard, waving away the stench of burnt Shadow and roasted garlic. Mona watched their corners, ears twitching as he listened for any other Shadows on approach.

"Damn," Skull panted. "I thought those things were in treasure chests, not elevators."

Joker pulled Angel's card from his sleeve and pushed the healing power as hard as he could, feeling the breaks and damage in his body. Bones creaked and muscles twitched, but it wasn't enough. He quickly realized the Persona wasn't capable of handling the worst of it. What he needed was a full meal, but what he was getting was table scraps.

While the pain and power made his head swim, he realized who was to blame for his situation: himself. He'd been too sick to notice the glimmer of red in the elevator car. His injuries from the day before had slowed him down. The Shadow had gotten the drop on him perfectly, and he'd be dead if the others hadn't moved as fast as they had. Faster than he could have.

Fouling up and falling short. Not good enough. His hands clenched into fists as he pushed himself painfully up the wall.

"You're hurt, aren't you?" Mona asked. He looked him over, eyes widening. "That's really bad. Here, hold still."

The cat's paws were on Joker, and glowing and a circling breeze enveloped them. Mona's healing was much stronger, and the scent of pine needles and fresh green grass filled Joker's head, pushing the malaise away. His injuries shifted and knitted back to proper form, giving him such a heady rush that he tottered over and had to catch himself on the wall. It felt like Mona went deeper than his own healing did, right into his blood somehow as he was healed and energized.

It was what he needed, but it was also disorienting as his body was repaired so quickly, leaving him woozy as Mona finished up and touched Joker's side and shoulder.

"It looks like he's better," Queen observed, also poking and prodding. "Yes, the bones are repaired and the flesh is mended. Good work, Mona."

"You can tell?"

"Yes. It's something Johanna suggested yesterday, that I try something small with my abilities. The motorcycle was part of it, but something else was like what you did, Skull: x-ray vision for structures and people. If I focus, I can see bones and wounds. That's why I know Mona did so well."

"X-ray vision," Skull repeated flatly. "That's somethin' you can do? Just like that?"

"Yes," she answered innocently. "I credit you for the idea. You felt the electrical currents so well that I wouldn't have known where to start if I hadn't seen you."

"That's surprisingly functional," Fox noted. "So far you've been fighting on the front lines and crushing anything you see."

"I wouldn't say it like that, thank you very much," she groused.

"I would."

"So you could do this on your second time here?" Skull asked.

"Well, sort of." She tapped her mask. "I wouldn't have come up with it myself, and I definitely wouldn't have had a framework to follow if you hadn't been so effective, Skull."

"Right."

"I appreciate it too," Joker put in as he straightened. "All you guys for pulling me back and dealing with that thing. Thanks."

Fox nodded politely, the girls gave him 'I told you so' looks, and Mona answered with, "Happy to help."

Skull looked away and said nothing. His hand strayed to his leg. Joker caught the gesture, recalling how hard they'd run to get to the front door, and the pieces tapped together.

"We should get moving," Mona told them, turning. "The Shadows are at the door, and they're going to come looking for us soon."

Joker nodded. "Good idea. Let's go."

They went down the stairs and stopped at the opening of the next floor. Joker stopped them before they advanced too far. "There're offices up ahead. It's going to be a lot of corners and tight spaces, but they're all modular like cubicles. Panther, Queen, use that to your advantage."

Panther grinned. "Gladly."

"Skull, Fox, this is where we first heard the dogs. They're fast, and you already saw what they can do."

Fox nodded. "Understood. We'll be careful."

"We have to move fast," Mona pointed out, "or we're going to get caught on both sides."

Joker rolled his shoulders, testing his bones and muscles and finding them to be perfect. Then he cracked his neck harder than he needed to.

The girls looked at him warily. "Joker…"

He pulled his 10mm and blew out the camera, the shots deafening them in the tight spaces. The alarms blared and emergency lights went red.

"What are you–"

He pulled Shiisaa's card and amped up. "Get moving!"

The resulting melee was concentrated pandemonium. Joker and Mona raced around to take shots at the Shadows and lure them away from their choke points, drawing them into the firing angles of the others. Panther used the wooden furniture, walls, cabinets and files as fuel to lash out at anything that got close and explode Shadow formations, even pushing the fire away for one of the others to jump through and closing it after to cut off pursuit. Fox found the weak spots in the Shadows and cut them down, often following Joker or Mona to capitalize on their crazy maneuvers. Skull and Queen found the right corners and blew into whatever Shadows they found, often fighting on the move and covering each other naturally. The Shadows from the front arrived only to be pulled in different directions, whether from Joker and Mona rushing past and pelting them with shots or Skull firing on them from the other side. The smoke from Panther's fires filled the stairwell, impeding any attacks at range and forcing the Shadows to fight on the terms of the Thieves.

And Joker made them pay for it. He was riding the edge of reckless adrenaline like before, only without as much holding him back. His cuts were precise, his shots hit the mark, and he was right where he needed to be. He caught sight of a grenade arcing toward Fox, so he dipped down to kick it in mid-air and send it right back. The fragmentation blast went off in the middle of the Shadows, breaking them apart, and Mona used the opening to cut down every last one of them.

"Time to go!" Joker instructed the others. "The stairs are over here!"

Fox got there first, laying down covering fire and giving the others gunshots to follow. Mona and Skull joined them, then Queen and Panther last. They hit the stairs and Panther stopped when they were covered, raising her hands and glowing red and gold as the air wavered around her. The fires along the roof twisted and arced down, engulfing the Shadows in the office. Their shouts were choked out with screams, and the others winced past the flames as they burned bright red, then yellow as the temperature rose to the autoignition point and everything, even the particulate in the smoke, caught fire. The Shadows cooked alive, and the few that made it to the stairs were blown apart by Fox and Skull.

Flames crackled, the floor went silent, and Panther brought her hands down to blow a kiss to the empty room. "That takes care of the stragglers, doesn't it?"

"And you said I was bloodthirsty," Queen remarked.

"It was a good idea. It would be a shame to waste it."

Queen looked over pointedly. "Well, it was a better idea than two of our number running around like lunatics."

Joker shrugged. "It worked. You can't argue with the results, and everyone did a great job following up."

"We didn't have a choice."

"Which still makes it admirable that you did so well. All's well that ends well, right?"

"We're going to talk about this when we're done," she promised.

"Gladly. I've always got time to talk to you, Queen."

She grumbled something under her breath then turned away, taking the front with Skull. Joker watched her go and chuckled, his good humor restored. It was good to–

The hairs on his nape stiffened. He stopped and turned, eyes darting about naturally. Who was there? The faintest glimpse of something hazy was on the edge of his vision, but he couldn't catch it no matter where he turned and how fast. The hint of a woman's laughter, not Panther or Queen, teased his ear. It might have been who he heard when Queen awakened Johanna, or whatever he felt last time he'd been here.

Then even that little bit was gone.

"Joker?" Mona called. "Is everything okay?"

"Come over here. Do you smell anyone? A Shadow or anyone else?"

The cat moved here and there, testing the air with his nose. "Hm. I don't think so. Maybe there might be something, but Panther and Carmen made a pretty big impact. Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I think. I just thought I saw or heard something, that's all."

"Does it seem hostile?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't think so."

"Well, let me know if anything changes."

"I will."

They caught up with the others. Skull got them through the door sensors, they skirted the pool of Shadows that seemed diminished now, and the security office was still silent. That brought them to their next challenge.

They called the elevator, but once it arrived no one moved to get into it. No one moved at all.

"We have to use it," Mona stated after a few minutes and numerous false starts.

"Yeah," Joker answered flatly.

"It's the only way down," Fox added.

"Seems like it."

Skull stepped forward and batted the call button and the open doors with his pipe. Nothing. He stepped in and out of it, waiting for a Shadow to attack. Still nothing.

"So it's not hostile," Queen noted. "Yet. Could that change?"

Mona answered, "Maybe."

"Let me try something," Fox stated. He went in, hit around the inside walls until they didn't echo, and set his hand against the surface. The temperature around him plummeted so fast that ice crystals drifted on the air around him, and the others backed away. After a minute, he stepped away. "There. That should stop anything from moving."

"You froze the brakes and motor," Queen realized. "Now it can't move at all. Good idea."

Panther knelt in the middle of the elevator. "I'll get us an opening." She set a finger against the metal floor and in very short order was drawing a circle of concentrated heat that turned the surface to slag. The circle broke loose and fell to the ground, slamming into the bottom of the elevator shaft with a loud clang.

Joker pulled his grapple gun and hooked the end on the ceiling of the elevator. Then he pulled himself up to center over the hole, then lowered himself through the still-smoking ring to the bottom without issue. He locked the grapple gun in place and called to the others to drop down. First came their bags of equipment, then Fox and Queen slid down and cleared the bottom.

Skull was halfway down when the elevator rocked and shifted. He looked up in panic and anger.

"Go!" Mona ordered.

Skull dropped down the rest of the way in record time, wincing at the hard landing as he dove out of the way, and Panther was on the way down before he was off the line. The elevator churned harder, fighting against its frozen parts.

Joker pulled his friends clear as they got to him, taking the grapple gun and watching as Mona teetered on the wire, dropping fast.

That was when the elevator broke loose. The brakes opened up and the car plummeted.

Mona dove down, accelerated by wind right into Joker's chest. It was enough to get them both clear of the elevator an instant before it smashed into the bottom, nearly crushing them.

The noise deafened them both for a few minutes while the dirt and dust on the landing covered them and left them coughing and spitting to clear their mouths and wiping at their eyes. Joker had enough wherewithal to take his cat away from the elevator, but when he saw how close it had come, and that his grapple cable was severed, he growled in anger.

"Another trap, another near-miss," he cursed. "I know this place is trying to kill us, but it's getting way too close. We haven't even made it to Kaneshiro yet."

Mona shook his head and batted the back of it to clear the ringing. "We're still alive. Let's keep it that way."

"And we have one more to go," Joker continued, hefting the cat and walking with the others to the last elevator. It was the longest ride down by far and they all looked at it with distrust.

Except Queen. She looked at the elevator and murmured to herself, then stuck her head in the elevator car. "Hm. That won't work." She came back out. "Skull, could I borrow you for a minute? I need to know where the brakes and motor are, more specifically than what Fox did. Can you see the current or power lines?"

"Sure, but can't you just see it with x-rays?"

"No. Metal reflects them, so I have to think outside the box."

He looked at her, then grunted as he moved forward. It only took a few seconds for him to tap the places with his pipe. "Here, here and here."

"Perfect. Then we can do this."

Mona asked, "What do you have in mind?"

"We've had terrible luck trusting these things so far, so we're not going to this time. We're going to melt everything holding it up and go the rest of the way using the maintenance ladders."

Joker raised an eyebrow. "This place has those?"

"The last shaft did. I noticed it on the way down."

"That's pretty safe as far as options go. I'm in."

"Panther seems to work best when she has fuel to burn," Queen went on, "and the only thing that might work is all the money out there."

Their red-wearing Thief shook her head. "That would burn too fast."

"Right. So we're going to do this differently. Kaneshiro's chair and table are back there. Could you guys break them up and bring them over?"

Fox nodded. "Sure."

As the guys did as she asked – with a fair amount of enthusiasm, considering it was Kaneshiro's own furniture – Panther inquired, "Is this about that stuff you bought yesterday?"

Queen nodded. "Yes. Thanks again for covering the cost."

"It wasn't that expensive, but why did we have to go to seven places to get it? You only said it was work related."

Joker turned, curious. "What's this?"

"Some supplies I picked after we split up yesterday." Queen looked inside the elevator again and frowned. "Hmm. Fox, could I ask for your expertise? I need those pieces to hold up something close to the ceiling in the places Skull mentioned. That's where we're going to burn and none of us want to be in the elevator."

"Certainly." He touched the wall once again and froze the mechanisms, then took the broken furniture and had a crude frame and canopy stretched under the points Queen mentioned in short order. "Hmph. It's even uglier than when it was in one piece."

"It will work great. Thanks." Queen opened her equipment bag and took out one of her pouches and extracted three clay flower pots, followed by two thick plastic sacks, one with silvery dust, the other rusty red. She poured equal amounts of dust in each pot, carefully stirring with a glass rod, and stuck a white stick in the mixture. "Very carefully, put these up please. You three are taller than I am."

Joker, Skull and Fox did so. Joker caught a whiff of the mixture and asked, "Is that rust? And… aluminum?"

"Yes. Don't catch it on the roof when you're handling it – we don't want even the chance of a spark."

The guys set the pots where instructed, and as they moved the elevator trembled. Queen swiftly checked the positioning and nodded. "Great work. Now get back a fair way. Panther, set the white parts on fire and get out fast."

Panther looked at the setup hesitantly. "This isn't going to explode, is it?"

"No, but it's like a fuse. You don't want to be in here once it sets off."

The guys nodded and vacated the elevator. Queen prompted them to take a few more steps back, then even lay down on the walkway. They looked at her, then followed her example. Panther sparked a light on the end of her finger and lit the 'fuses,' then quickly moved to join them.

The sticks burned white, so bright that Joker had to look away. "What are those?"

"Magnesium," Queen answered. "Don't stare at them, you'll hurt your eyes."

The fuses burned past the edges of the flower pots, winked out as the light vanished, and nothing happened.

Skull asked, "That it?"

He barely finished the questions when all three pots lit up and roared to life, sounding like a jet engine powering a flamethrower. Yellow-hot flames hissed and burned straight up, melting the metal of the elevator roof in under a second. Molten slag peeled back and dripped to the floor, the holes widening as the brakes and struts bent and dripped to nothing. The elevator groaned as one side gave, then the other, leaving the elevator hanging by the cables. Two seconds later, the motor burned away and the elevator car plunged straight down.

Three long seconds later, the car crashed into the base, shaking the ground under the Thieves and cracking the glass elevator casing as air and dust shot up in front of them.

They were speechless. Then Queen nodded and got to her feet. "There. That worked even better than I expected."

Skull was the first to ask, "The hell was that?"

"Thermite," Queen answered simply. "Chemistry. Haven't you learned about it in class yet?"

"Not that I can remember."

"Then maybe you will later this year. Mix aluminum and rust and give them an energy source. The reaction is so hot it melts steel in seconds. You can't put it out once you start it, it happens as fast as you saw, and this way nobody needs to tire themselves out burning metal or risk being in the elevator."

Joker asked, "Why the flower pots?"

"Because ceramic doesn't burn the same way that a metal container would. It acts like a crucible to direct the fire, and it's safer this way."

"You just happened to have all that handy?"

"I thought we'd need it for burning into Kaneshiro's safe, in case he locked it up or had a panic room or something. I still have enough for one more if we need it."

Mona nodded. "Thinking ahead and outside the box. Good idea, Queen."

"Thanks, but we all pitched in."

Joker looked at the elevator. "Well, the way down should be safe – no Shadow could survive a drop like that. Let's go."

They went to the shaft and found the ladders Queen mentioned. One by one they jumped on and moved down. The lower they went, the more damage there was to the shaft – the last thirty feet were blown out from the impact of the elevator car. There were a bunch of parts of Shadows lying around the landing, still and lifeless.

"They were waiting for us," Mona deduced. "What do you want to bet the elevator was supposed to lock us in and stop before the bottom so they could shoot at us?"

"Good choice of tactics," Joker answered, dropping to the roof of the elevator car. The holes where the thermite had burned through were still glowing red and smoking. "Watch your step here."

The Thieves did, hefting their gear down and looking around. The defense force must have been banking on the elevator to do as Mona said – there weren't any Shadows nearby calling for backup. "They put everything on a tactic that probably would have worked," Joker concluded. "It's a straight shot to the vault. Let's go and finish this."

They nodded and moved through the layers of the lock carefully. Each time they checked their corners and each time nothing was there. When they came to where Kaneshiro's heart had been, there was the man himself, carrying an expensive suitcase and a sack full of money. No one was around to help him.

He looked the same as he did over the camera, nice suit and purple skin and all, except his movements were jerky. His arms and legs twitched like they weren't used to normal human locomotion, and when he turned to them, he hissed vengefully. "You! You're the little shits who are ruining my wonderful Bank!"

"And you're another Shadow itching for an ass kicking," Joker answered. "Let's break the pattern here, okay? Give it up and do what we say without a fight – we've come this far and we haven't lost yet."

"And you think that means you'll win? Every sucker says that, right until the floor drops underneath them." Kaneshiro looked at Queen. "And you. How very nice of you to bring yourself to me. I'll kill these idiots, but I'll make you and your sister pay for this forever."

Queen dropped into a fighting stance. "Every one of your victims get justice today, Kaneshiro. I'd tell you to come along quietly, but you're not going to, are you?"

Kaneshiro's laugh was singularly unpleasant. "Give up? I've been through worse than you can imagine, little girl. I'm never giving up. What, do you think you'll be able to fight all of my loyal followers?"

"Nobody's here, Kaneshiro. What, are you too cheap to pay them?"

"Money is power, and power lets us do whatever we want. I'll teach you that lesson right now, Niijima Makoto, as you serve me."

Queen's true name boomed out from the Shadow and echoed around the vault. She doubled over and hit the ground, hands at her head.

The Thieves circled her, weapons ready.

The light dimmed, sucked into the void that was Kaneshiro's grotesque, overwhelming malice. He chuckled and rubbed his hands together jerkily, then ordered, "Kill them. Bring me the girls." Shadows appeared all around him, guards and riot soldiers and even ATM units and faceless mannequins. "I offer a forgiveness of any debt to whoever brings me the heads of the men."

All attention went to the team. Shared purpose went through the Shadows as they gathered and grew in number.

Then they charged.

The melee to follow was vicious and dirty. Without anywhere to hide or form around, the Thieves could only circle Queen and brace for impact, fighting the Shadows toe to toe. The cost of approach was high as Fox's blade severed any who came within range and Panther pulled grenade pins two at a time, but the strongest Shadows moved around in the back, not bunching up and keeping the Thieves guessing at their next moves while the desperate mimicries of Kaneshiro's victims threw themselves desperately forward, surviving injuries that should have put them down and grabbing at legs or arms or weapons as they died to create new openings.

In a battle of numbers, the Thieves couldn't kill fast enough. And their greatest assets, momentum and the environment, weren't available to them. They fought and endured the strikes back and ground on, wearing down and wasting their shots on inferior targets while the real threats bided their time.

Even Queen, who'd been such an asset, couldn't help as much. She struggled to her feet, able to move and get a few good hits in, but with her true name so well known and the full weight of Kaneshiro's will on her, she could barely fight at all.

"Ideas?" Joker asked Mona, oddly calm as he assessed the situation growing ever more dire.

"We need a wall to our back," was the reply as the cat cut and ducked on the razor's edge. "After that, we need something big, and we need it fast."

Skull was alternating between guns, running his M4 dry and then switching to his sawed-off, getting in rounds and reloads where he could. "There's a conduit over there," he grunted, jerking his head to the side. "Move that way."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Somethin' big."

They agreed and moved slowly, covering their angles and trying to keep each other safe. More often than not, though, one defense meant an opening someone couldn't cover – there were just too many Shadows.

They managed, though, and Skull said, "I'll need yer help, Fox."

The tall Thief came over, looking at him close and asking, "How big will this be?"

Skull couldn't meet his eyes. "Big enough. We need it, don't we?"

Fox nodded solemnly and clapped him on the shoulder. "Tell me what to do."

7 7 7

I'm not useless.

As the others fought around him, Skull hammered at the lock on the conduit plate until it bent, then pried it until it snapped off. The circuits and wires revealed themselves, thick as his leg as they ran through the floor to power the most energy-intensive part of the Palace.

This was insane by any metric. Skull didn't care, didn't even hear Kidd trying to warn him off of it. He asked Fox to cut the wire casing lengthwise. A quick slash did it, delicate enough to not hit anything serious. Skull waved him back to the fight, made sure no one was looking, then pulled his gloves off and yanked the casing open, hearing the lively humming right in front of him, all that rushing electricity.

Second best. Fucking up and falling behind. He'd been here before.

I'm NOT useless.

First Joker, then Queen. It wasn't enough that he decided Skull wasn't good enough to bring along, but she had to do everything Skull could do. Not only was she not a cripple, she was doing everything better, faster, and smarter. All in only a few days of getting a Persona. And why him? Why couldn't she rip off someone else? He was working his hardest and getting somewhere – this was his place, somewhere he belonged – and she picked up his best tricks like they were nothing!

Nuclear beat electricity. Even he knew that. With her on the team, moving faster than he did and hitting harder than he could, why did they need him? Soon, they wouldn't, would they?

None of them. Especially not Panther.

I'M NOT USELESS!

Skull found the biggest wires and grabbed them with naked flesh. Power flooded his body, standing every hair up on end and crackling through him and around him. The lights dimmed, the suction system beneath them faltered, and the platform trembled as the back-up generators fought to meet demand.

Skull came alive with amperage. He drew on the wires recklessly, draining them like a floodgate and forcing his body to accommodate as much power as he could take. His mask darkened and flashed and the air snapped and hissed, reaching out to snap at anything that came close. This was his element, and he was its god.

Except he wasn't. His body was his conductor and his body was flawed. The break in his leg, the offset where the bone had set wrong, was the bottleneck. The connection was kinked, aching and burning no matter how hard he pushed. It stopped him from perfectly pulling all of what he needed.

He forced it anyway. The connection righted and flowed. But he heard and felt the break where the circuits didn't match, knew his body had failed but he was too deep to pull back. The storm whirled and roared, then blew out from him. Lightning raked the walls and floor, arcing out to fry every Shadow that came close. The storm gathered and struck any Shadows with metal weapons, seeking and destroying as the final act erupted from the depths of his body and soul. Not as Kidd or his ship, but as two scaled forms circling him and glaring at the Shadows.

Double dragon. Ryuji.

Skull's flesh fried, sizzling as smoke reached his nose. He fought past it and threw all of himself into his power, turning the storm loose. The dragons roared out and raced into the Shadows, breaking into their ranks and tearing through armored clusters harder than Queen could have. Entire ranks evaporated, the Shadows faltered and broke, but none of them could run fast enough as the dragons outran them, raking them with fangs of claws, circling and striking anything that moved.

In the instant before his leg gave out and his body failed, he was whole again. He was running his way to a championship and a scholarship and a better life, leaving his dysfunctional father and all those assholes who doubted him behind. He was free. Alive.

No one could take that from him.

7 7 7

Joker and the others ducked and covered their eyes and ears as the storm raged around them. That was the worst thing to do in a fight, but every molecule in the air was hostile and looking for a target, and the Shadows were having a much worse time of it.

Finally the noise stopped. Joker looked around and couldn't believe this was the same battlefield he'd closed his eyes to. Blackened streaks raked the floor, charred husks of Shadows had been blown in half or fried where they stood. Joker had seen this only once before, when Skull had awakened Captain Kidd.

Even that and the fight against Kamoshida, whom Skull had hated more than any other living person, hadn't looked like this.

He looked back at his friend, then scrambled to catch him before he hit the ground. Skull was breathing rapidly, struggling to stand even while his pulse was erratic. Worse, his hands and arms were lined with Lichtenberg marks, burned black where the electricity had broken through the skin. Smoke was rising from the flesh under his clothes.

This was Skull's element. How much power had he conducted?

"Skull? Hey, wake up!"

The Thief lolled and groaned. His bad leg buckled and he whimpered and hissed as he landed on it.

"This isn't good," Panther whispered.

Mona stepped up and set his paws on Skull's chest, glowing bright with healing energy as the wind whirled around him. Skull jerked and opened his eyes, but was still sluggish. "He's in bad shape," the cat reported. "I'll stay with him. Keep fighting Kaneshiro, and be careful. I can't be there to help you."

Queen shuffled over and took up his M4. "Can I use this?"

He looked at her and muttered something that might have been, "Sure."

"Thank you, Skull." She pulled on his ammo bandoliers and rose, hands less certain on the weapon than his were and wincing against the Palace's pressure.

"Let's finish this," Joker ordered. He turned to where Kaneshiro had fled into his vault. "Going somewhere, fat man? We're not done yet."

Kaneshiro came back dragging sacks of cash. "Naturally not, little thief. It's not over until the woman breaks." He snapped his finger and more Shadows manifested, though far fewer than before.

"You're running short of people, Kaneshiro. What, are they realizing some things aren't worth dying for?"

"Money buys everything. Money is everything. Let me show you." Kaneshiro pulled one bag open and hundreds of bills flew out in a wind, coming in so fast and at such an angle that they cut the Thieves on the face and arms and any exposed flesh.

Panther's fires burned the bills away in a flash, but the Shadows used the distraction to advance.

"Don't let them corner us!" Joker shouted before racing out, dagger in one hand and pistol in the other. The Shadows and money tried to corner him, but he darted in and out and tumbled here and there, utilizing the movements to get his licks in and duck the money. Fox covered the other side in the same way, and Queen and Panther struck the middle with fire and shotgun blast. Queen's shots came slower than Skull's, and she lacked his confidence and slick precision, but that didn't change the effectiveness of the rounds.

Kaneshiro opened another bag and scattered 1 yen coins out over them. They weren't coming with enough force to hurt, and the noise was barely within the range of being irritating.

But Joker slipped and realized why Kaneshiro had done that – the coins cost the Thieves their footing.

Fox slipped and rolled to the side, tumbling away from the Shadows as they pounced. Panther and Queen were distracted in their shooting and let a few through, forced to fight in close quarters and leaving Joker and Fox without cover. The guys had to retreat until Joker switched cards and blasted the ground with wind, casting the coins aside and getting them their footing back. He rushed to Fox's aid, hitting the Shadows on their flank, and then ducking a solid brick of cash as he caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. The others had to look above and dodge what would have been a concussive blow if it had landed, but they moved with each other and maintained their defenses.

"Very clever," Kaneshiro noted, before he grabbed a wad of coins and hurled them. They grew and clustered and struck just in front of Joker as a massive metal fist. He tumbled and turned, drawing fire until Fox and Queen pushed Kaneshiro and the Shadows back with concentrated shots.

More Shadows manifested, but they were citizens, not guards. They knelt before Kaneshiro and didn't move.

"Hiding behind the innocent, Kaneshiro?" Queen panted. "You're pathetic."

"They exist for me, to serve me, and only so I can use them," was the answer. This wasn't a human voice, though, but an angry vibration, like a giant insect. "Them, you, it's all the same to me." The Shadows broke down into murky mist and bled into Kaneshiro, whose eyes were red and growing. Multiplying, from two to eight to dozens. His arms split into two kinked appendages, spines emerging from his skin and hands morphing into snapping mouths full of teeth. His body weight migrated to his bottom half, bulging out into a carapaced sac. His head arose above his insectoid eyes, and large diaphanous wings fluttered from the mist, already buzzing with a familiar sound.

"A fly buzzing around money like rotting garbage," Queen murmured in horror. "Kaneshiro, you're a monster."

"I am in charge!" the horror answered, part in his human voice and part in a warbling buzz. "I am everything!" The insect took off, its wings pushing at them like a whirlwind.

"A larger target," Fox noted, opening up with his Winchester. Kaneshiro ducked and dipped here and there, though. Despite his size, he seemed to know where the threats were coming from and ducked out of the way. Even bullets were avoided as though they were clumsy swats, and he swooped down and regurgitated bile and acid at them, forcing them to tumble out of the way or fire for distraction if only to keep him away from Skull and Mona.

Through it all, Joker watched Kaneshiro's flight paths. He was erratic and graceful, but there was an arrogance to his movements. He was above them all, in charge, and so he naturally had to show off. An insane idea came to mind, and it was just what he needed. Joker quickly instructed the others, got some disbelieving looks, and saw his opening. He took out his grapple gun, even with its shortened cable, and tied it to the hilt of his dagger. Then he lined up a running start, gestured to Queen, and took off. He ran as fast as he could, caught Panther's last grenade as she tossed it to him, and got his feet in the cup of Queen's hands. She heaved with her superior strength and excellent aim, and Joker came up near Kaneshiro as he buzzed by. A shot with the grapple gun sent Joker's dagger deep into the insect's body, enough to hook on and reel him in, and he was atop his foe. He grabbed onto the spines on Kaneshiro's back and held on as the Shadow tried to buck him off.

"Damn you!" Kaneshiro shouted, thrashing through the air. "No one is greater than me! No one is higher!"

"And no one's going to fall harder," Joker answered, running up the Shadow's body and cutting and shooting as he went. Fox's fire from below was clear of his ally, steering Kaneshiro here and there even as he flew close to the walls to get Joker off. Joker responded by shooting the last of his mag into the Shadow's wings, drawing out an enraged shriek and forcing the creature to bank and shift to stay aloft. Then Joker found the middle section of Kaneshiro's back, slapped in his last magazine, and pumped 10mm rounds into it. He crudely drilled a hole with hot lead that he dug even wider with his dagger. Kaneshiro roared in pain, but also in anger. It wouldn't last long.

Joker pulled the pin of Panther's phosphorous grenade and jammed it into the wound, kicking it deep. Then he pulled a card and leapt off, calling the winds to buffer his fall.

Kaneshiro wheeled about to shred him, fangs open and claws ready.

The grenade went off, covering his back with powder that ignited upon contact with the air. Kaneshiro writhed and screamed, flying around to put it out but only making it worse. The fire spread, burned deep and fast, and his body fizzled out into nothing.

Joker turned midair, trying to catch the landing, but Zorro glowed bright and added to his own winds, lowering him down easily.

Kaneshiro crashed his landing, slamming into the ground and rolling to a stop near his money, not close enough to reach it.

No other Shadows came. Over the panting breaths of the Thieves, it was clear – they'd won.

Rushed running steps approached Kaneshiro, and Queen punched him so hard he tumbled back. She pulled up Skull's M4 and slammed it into his cheek.

"Queen!" Joker shouted.

"If you live, we're in danger," she chanted, her voice murderous. "Me, Sis, everyone."

Kaneshiro grinned past the gun barrel, sounding human again. "That's right. You, her, all of you. You're mine, and it won't stop. Go on, little girl, avenge your precious papa and pull the trigger."

"Daddy– You filthy sack of crap, what do you know about my dad?!"

"Hmm, what indeed?"

"Queen!" Joker grabbed her around the middle and yanked back. The shotgun went off, the struggle sending her finger down on the trigger, and the buckshot blast just narrowly missed Kaneshiro's head. Queen's strength had returned and she flailed against Joker, nearly elbowing his face from his head and writhing out of his grasp. Only his positioning and her lack of leverage gave him any chance of a fight. He clenched his teeth, switched to Makami to buffer against her nuclear power, and dragged her back before hurling her to the floor. She was on her feet in a snap, but so was he, in between her and Kaneshiro.

Her teeth were bared, her red eyes wild for blood. "Move! You heard him, what he'll do!"

Joker shook with pain and adrenaline, but he blocked her nonetheless. "He's beaten, Queen! If you kill him here, you kill him there!"

"So what?! Does he deserve to live?! Would any of his victims give him this chance?!"

"They're not here! We are! This is how we do things, no matter what the Shadows say!"

"Are you serious?!" She waved the M4 around, too furious to realize it was loaded and reset. "You want him to get away?!"

"Listen to yourself! Listen! He wants you to kill him so you'll stain your hands. If you do that, he doesn't have to change and we're the bad guys. Even after everything he did, after what all his victims went through, we didn't come here to kill him."

She shook, actually rattled on her feet, caught between two overpowering compulsions.

Joker tried harder. "You said we're heroes, right? Well heroes have to make the hard decisions. This is one of them. No matter how much you want to kill him, and believe me I know how you feel, we're not here to do that."

"Why not, oh noble raven?" Kaneshiro mocked from behind. "You fought so hard before, what's the matter with you now?"

Fox stepped over and kicked Kaneshiro hard in the side, then lowered his sword point into Kaneshiro's mouth. "Silence," the tall Thief ordered softly. "Our purposes require that you remain alive. That doesn't mean you have to be whole."

Mona and Panther supported Skull as all three came over, filthy and grim but victorious.

Queen panted, fighting her battle lust. "Don't you see what he could turn into? If he gets away…"

"He won't," Joker stated firmly. "Trust me, we've done this before and we always doubted it. But it's worked every time, and we're not doing anything different."

She held onto her control by the slimmest of threads. "You realize the risk we're taking, right?"

"Yes, and we'll deal with him again if we have to. All of us."

It was a titanic struggle, but she pulled herself under control. "All right. We'll do it your way, Joker."

"You won't regret it."

The others had gathered around the Shadow, Skull having recovered his shotgun. Fox stepped back, sword at his side but still ready.

"You heard us before," Joker stated, looking at Kaneshiro. "We're here to steal your heart. You're going to go back to where you came from and change."

Kaneshiro laughed. "What's in it for me?"

"You can cooperate or we can keep beating you. Your goons are gone, you've run out of money, and it's just us here. You decide."

Kaneshiro looked around at them, then stood up, brushed himself off and straightened his tie. "Fine. Your terms are adequate. I'll go back, and let the pieces fall where they may."

"Wait," Mona told the Shadow. "Who was the black knight? Did he meet with you?"

Kaneshiro smiled, and it was a very ugly smile. "Ah. You learned about him, did you?"

"Who is he? How did he get here?"

"How should I know? He had questions and was willing to pay for answers. That's all that mattered."

"He's not a Shadow, is he?"

"No. In fact, he…" The Shadow cackled maliciously. "You know what? I never give out freebies, but I'll make an exception this time. He's got a lot in common with you little pests." Kaneshiro looked right at Joker. "Especially you."

Joker asked, "Meaning what?"

"You'll see. He knows about you so I'm sure you'll meet him soon. And when you do…" Kaneshiro laughed now, the sound echoing around him as the light engulfed him and took him away.

"What was that?" Panther mused. "Bluster and BS?"

"I wonder," Mona answered. The ground shook and heaved as the Palace began to come apart. "We need to get out of here!"

"Over there!" Skull directed, limping forward. "There's an escape pod, it's what he was tryin' to get to." He and Joker found the switch and yanked the door open. They looked inside, but nodded. "It'll be a tight fit for everyone, but pile in!"

They did so, Mona clutching Kaneshiro's briefcase and Joker on top. "The leaders are always last," he told Queen when she looked ready to argue. She seemed to want to say something, but instead got in and made herself small so he could grab on tight. Fox hit the right buttons and they detached from the floating structure seconds before it heaved to one side. They headed groundward at a dangerous speed, aiming for the crack of light that appeared just on the edge of sight–

And crashed into the ground, rolling and tumbling into the wall of the building. Akira covered his head just before he impacted the wall, Makoto-senpai slamming into him and Morgana landing on her. Ann hit the ground and crumpled right as Ryuji's head landed on her stomach, and Yusuke skidded to a stop just short of the dumpster.

They'd crossed over just in time.

"Another close escape," Akira said as he pushed himself, then fell back down. He was woozy and his whole body throbbed with old pain and new. His pulse could be felt all through his head, and it put him against the wall. It was all he could do to not be sick.

"We should stop that," Ann commented as she got to her feet and helped Ryuji up. "Maybe plan it so we get out with lots of time to spare."

"I don't know, it seems like something we're getting better at with practice. It's not like we'd have gotten out of that place otherwise."

"And we're still somewhere discrete," Yusuke noted. "Imagine how it might look if we came out of nowhere in the middle of the street."

"We should all get some rest," Makoto-senpai instructed, helping Akira to his feet with the aid of the wall. "We can meet up tomorrow and see what happens."

"We should also plan a day to open that case up," Ann suggested. "Not here and not yet – I can keep it at my place until then. But it's kinda private there right now, and I couldn't fit everyone anyway."

"Me neither," Ryuji stated.

She looked at Akira. "But you live at a cafe, don't you? Could we meet there, maybe pay for a day?"

Akira managed to think through the pounding in his head. He nearly fell over as his entire skull pulsed. "We might. There's enough room. I'll check and see."

"All right. Let's get everyone home – you guys look even worse than yesterday."

Ryuji and Akira weren't even in good enough shape to protest.

Author's Note, Post Script: And DONE! Another Palace, another Shadow down for the count. What did you guys like most? Johanna as the motorcycle? The science? Kaneshiro's Shadow being something actually kinda scary? I was a big fan of the elevator mimic, because where else do you see those? Nowhere but here, the best Persona 5 story on the internet. Drop me a line and let me know, and I'll see you all on November 9th. Cheers until then!