Chapter 5: Recon
05:09 AM (Japan Time), Tuesday July the 23rd…
"… Justin? Do you copy? It's me, Jasmine…"
"This is George… The main server room has a "Gecko" inside of it…"
"Alright…"
A girl crawled across an air duct.
She wore a black sleeveless shirt, jeans, and boots.
She had a cap over her head, too.
She had IR goggles to see her way across the duct.
She used pads to avoid damaging her elbows as she crawled.
Her utility belt had a knife case, a gun holster, and a grenade.
She whispered into a handsfree set of a mike and earphones.
She stopped to look out from a cover beneath her.
The corridor below was dimly lit by emergency lights.
A patrol of four fully geared soldiers walked down it.
They had their rifles drawn and had flashlights built into them.
The soldiers also used IR googles.
She silently waited until they were out of sight and hearing.
"Professionals. But they probably only cover the corridors…"
"It wouldn't benefit them if a gunfire damaged the servers…"
"Exactly. The ones there must specialize in hand-to-hand combat…"
"But maybe there's rooms without guards…"
"Because the equipment is too delicate to risk any combat at all…"
"This is Morgan. It's probably the backup terminals room…"
"Roger, Colonel. We'll head there…"
"You're closest, Justin. I'll send you the route…"
"Understood, sir…"
"Jasmine and George: catch up afterwards…"
"What about sentries or such?"
"Mr. Zero and Mr. Shadow Man will act as decoys…"
"Roger that…"
"Besides. This enough won't suffice to restore the Japan Site…"
"Because an operation is needed from the other side, too?"
"Yes. It's still under research…"
"It's only been 5 hours. It's logical, sir…"
"Yes. Wait for my signal…"
Two explosions rang out.
Fire alarms echoed.
"To all patrols! Head to the rooftop! An intruder!"
"Roger that!"
The previous group of soldiers rushed up the corridor.
Some tens of seconds later, another group did the same.
Jasmine resumed her advance.
She eventually reached a crossroad.
The cover ahead of her was open.
She looked out into a room with several computer terminals.
Someone was operating on one of them.
"Justin?" She called out.
"Correct!"
"The albatross…"
"Eats moss…"
"OK!"
She slid out of the duct and joined him.
It was a young man around the same age.
He wore the same equipment as her.
He'd lifted his IR googles, revealing brown irises.
"I locked the door from the inside to be on the safe side…"
"Good idea…"
She did the same, revealing green irises.
"Sir. The terminal finished booting up…"
"Great. Mr. Omega will come to access it…"
A "portal" formed, and a Navi stepped out of it.
Omega was about one meter and eighty tall.
A blue inverted triangle was set on the center of his helmet's forehead.
The jewel glowed and emitted a cross-shaped light.
His irises were blue and serious.
Long blond hair reached all the way to the floor.
He had a red vest over his mainly black body.
His forearms and boots were red.
Two golden circlets were set around his forearms and on his boots.
"OK. I'll handle this…"
He opened the cover on his right arm before the wrist.
A USB wire extended out of there.
He plugged it into the computer.
"Cover me!"
"Roger!"
"Sorry for the wait!"
"Just in time, George!"
"Roger…"
"Meets Gregor…"
The final agent made it there, too.
"… I broke 75% of security… Another 20 seconds…"
"Excellent…"
"… Project Kagutsuchi… It's the Vortex World, alright…"
"He means to eventually populate it with demons?"
"Surely…"
"What a stupid show…"
"I know. It's a smokescreen…"
"To divert attention from something else?"
"Exactly…"
"I'll brief you in once this mission is over…"
"Roger, sir!"
"… The diversion is successful. The enemy has split in two groups…"
"Surprised that they dare battle two Net Navis like that…"
"Because they also are Net Navis…"
"Devil! Hence why they could deploy so easily…"
"Exactly. Their choppers are materialized data, too…"
"Typical of Twilight…! Sly tricks…"
"… I set up the program inside the system…"
"To secure ways in and out?"
"Correct… But it also works to analyze the overwriting…"
"The more data, the better…"
A child-like giggle rang out in the corridor.
"Who are the bad kids that dare intrude into my sanctuary?"
"Out of all ones…!" The trio fumed.
"More parodies?" Omega guessed.
"Monokuma! Of the Dangan Ronpa games!"
"That incarnation of evil!" Omega fumed.
"I guess that you need punishment for denying me, the headmaster!"
"… Installation is complete…"
Omega retrieved the wire.
"Boss. Change the portal destination, set it to their retrieval point…"
"Sure…"
"I'll go kick that bear's nose…"
"Go ahead. It's a parody, anyway…"
Omega turned off the terminal.
The trio rushed into the "portal" and made it out of the room.
Omega drew an emerald, pyramidal saber with a white hilt.
Something tackled the door.
"There's something else. It's too small to cause that shock…"
"Meet my big cousin of Johto, the Ringma!"
"Classical!"
"Very daring to assault from two fronts! But can do the same!"
The door burst open and the "Ringma" stepped in, roaring.
Omega wasted no time and stabbed its chest.
The blade emerged from behind it.
He kicked it into the corridor, where it fell atop the "Monokuma".
"Enjoy the cousin hug. I'm off…"
He warped out and reappeared on the rooftop.
Several soldiers laid on the ground, damaged.
Zero was jumping from one to another, bringing them down.
A figure wearing "wings" watched on from the skies.
"Anger! Bring out your anger! Show me your anger!"
"Raging Raven? How snob of them…"
"… I have no need for emotions…"
Zero wasn't impressed as he cut down another foe.
"Rage! Hatred! Revenge! Enmity! Fury!"
"Had enough of that crap. It's but a program. No need to hold back!"
He drew a gun and shot at the enemy from behind.
However, it became transparent.
"A hologram! Shit!"
"We aren't done yet, by the tropical despair!"
"You swallow that despair and nullify yourself!"
"Very original, Omegi!"
"Monokuma" appeared there, carrying a bucket of tar in his hands.
"Tar & feathers! Like in the Wild West!"
"Go play with the Dalton Brothers and leave us alone…"
"I'll create a ghost steamer that runs up the Mississippi!"
Omega kicked the bucket skywards in the blink of an eye.
The teddy bear looked up, surprised.
Omega jumped away as the tar covered the bear.
The bucket dropped over his head.
He grumbled something as he struggled to shake off the tar.
Omega dropped a grenade there.
The tar ignited the foe yelped.
He shot a plasma shot next and it pierced the enemy.
Something inside of it exploded, shattering it into pieces.
"It's a robot plushie, anyway…"
"… Does this need to continue…?"
"No. We fulfilled our purpose. You can…"
"… Several signatures in the radar… From the sky…!"
"The sky?"
"What?"
He also looked up, surprised.
Several meteors were raining down towards the building.
Another "Monokuma" appeared, surprised.
"Cloud Man! I didn't order that!"
"I didn't do that, my lord!"
"Then Bird Man!"
"Neither me! My Lord! Right, Commander!?"
"Indeed, sir. All the men are with me, on standby…"
"… Lord of Presents! He hasn't been wasting time!"
"Regal! Trade one evil for another!" Omega growled.
A familiar laughter echoed.
"Eye for an eye… "Dr. Jonathan Clark"…!" Regal chuckled.
"Should've done like the other one and turn you into a cripple!"
"Your ego backfires at you…"
"You're not one to talk! Not even you could control "Duo"!"
"That remains to be seen!"
"Fine! Use their junk and go chase it to the depths of the Galaxy!"
Omega and Zero were flying and attacking the meteors.
"Interesting. Maybe I'll find El Dorado while I'm at it…"
"Very funny!"
"You began it. Regret your loose tongue…"
"Monokuma" hissed as his right eye glowed.
He brought up his right paw.
"I'm eager for some blood, you know!? Regal!"
"Then begin with your tropical albatross…"
"Who's a tropical albatross!?" Swallow Man growled.
"Silence! This is between me and that bastard!"
"Yes, sir! As you desire!"
"Shut the channel, Freeze Man! Carry out Operation Gamma!"
"Roger…"
"I'll send your friend, Beelzebub, to suck off your blood firstly!"
"Shade Man! Talk about nostalgic…" Regal laughed.
"My metal bar must be more nostalgic!"
"I see that you are eager to taste the knife on your throat…"
"Whatever. Not even those punks could track me down! You stand no…!"
"Not all that glitters is gold…"
"What? The gold rush of California?"
An explosion happened on a nearby skyscraper.
One of its highest floors was fully destroyed.
Several copies of the "Monokuma" were blown out of it.
They fell towards the ground.
"My cache!? How did you…!?"
"You're not the only one who has had business with this building…"
"… The UFO that became Beelzebub's castle!"
"That floor was mine, actually…"
"What!? "Tanaka Holdings Incorporated" was owned by you!?"
"I thought of using it to contemplate the struggles of the mortals, yet…"
He shrugged.
"I never found the chance to. And then I saw that you bought it…"
"And snuck bombs to try to take me out!?"
"You bombed a motel to take out an eyesore last year, too…"
"Shit!"
"Eye for an eye…"
"Whatever! That was but a caprice!"
"Such as pretending to steal a painting from the Louvre Museum?"
"… That was art!"
"Such art. "Danny Brownie"…"
"Monokuma" clutched both sides of his head, exasperated.
"Why couldn't I think of a better name!?"
"You were "inspired"… Too much "weed", I take it…"
"I'll turn you into seaweed for Forneus and Decarabia!"
"My. What honor…"
"Let's pull out while they're busy killing each other, Zero…"
"Agreed…"
Omega and Zero discreetly made their escape.
The sirens of the firefighter trucks rang out.
"He who plays with fire becomes burned, Clark…"
"Burning Man? As if he can make it past Cosmo Man!"
"Time will tell, Clark…"
"I have all the time in the world… For I am immortal!"
"Or are you really?" Regal taunted.
"Monokuma" remained silent.
"Matters little…"
"Once the show is running, you're next!"
"Wonderful. Show me that you can bite, Clark…"
"You'll regret it when I hang you from the mast of my ship!"
06:30 AM (Japan Time)…
"… I know that we have enough complications with those, but…"
"Something else has surfaced?"
"Regal isn't the only one who's escaped from the brig…"
"Don't tell me that…"
"Anaya and Izono, too!"
"Devil!"
"Regal merely sniffed out the agents used and repurposed them…"
"Lovely panorama!"
Omega explained things to the "Net Saviors".
"We were able to find the airfield from where they launched the raid…"
"But it was already empty…"
"Yes. And it was owned by a paper company. "Praying Mantis"…"
"… A PMC featured in the videogame Metal Gear Solid 4…"
Search Man ran a quick search.
"The choppers were real stuff, though, not data-made copies…"
"They probably were sold in the black market and bought there…"
"We suspect that they then drove away in a car, but…"
"They could be anywhere…!"
"Yes. If preparations were so throughout…"
"They must have fake passports and disguises and so on…"
"Maybe they slipped into Mexico, even…"
"And given the strong presence of cartels, they can easily hide…"
"What about Regal?"
"The prison was raided, too, and he was extracted…"
"He probably predicted that they'd try to ice him…"
"In fact, we did find a knife laced with poison in a storeroom…"
"Lovely!"
"We suspect that Regal has a Net Navi acting as his proxy…"
"The attacks of a while ago were probably made by a Navi, too…"
"Speaking of Navis. Any contact from Needle Man?"
"Yes. He fought off a bunch of hoodlums trying to catch him…"
"No surprise…"
"What about those members that you caught?"
"One of them had a notebook with the clues that he'd gathered…"
"Really. Such as?"
"The name of the organization. "Deadly Pandora"…"
"Talk about a fancy name…"
"Initial searches only led us to parodies of games…"
"Naturally. They foresaw that the name would eventually leak…"
"And readied smokescreens in advance…"
"Speaking of smokescreens. What about that office space?"
"Digging into records, what those two said was true…"
"That it originally belonged to Regal, but Clark bought it?"
"Exactly…"
"Did you find any other properties from that firm?"
"Yes. And they were all destroyed…"
"Which means that this is Regal's payback…"
"Given how they were empty and pending usage…"
"It's not hard to sneak in pretending to be cleansing staff…"
"We did find that explosives were stolen from a demolition business…"
"Classical!"
"We're trying to figure out other paper businesses, but it's hard…"
"Naturally. You don't know where to begin looking…"
A familiar chuckle echoed.
"Speaking of the devil!" They all cursed.
"Good morning, gentlemen… The dawn of a new era of terror and fear!"
"Meteor attack is happening on the outer firewalls!"
"You sure love meteors!"
"Blame that alien junk…"
"Very funny, Regal!"
"… That mighty hero is absent… AWOL?" He taunted.
"Who knows? Maybe he has no time for clowns like you…"
"Nice try, Ijuuin… But it doesn't work on me…"
"I have my crosshairs locked on you, Regal…" Raika hissed.
"The legendary sniper, The End of the Cobra Unit?" He mocked him.
"You were saying? There was a burst of signal noise…"
"… It's using heavy encryption. Takes time to analyze…!"
Search Man hissed as he tried to crack the encryption.
"I am everywhere!"
"Really. Then find Clark and outwit him…"
"No need to. The eager fool will show up himself..."
"The hunter will become the hunted…" Prism Man challenged.
"I'll present you with a beast that will devour your flesh…"
"Warning! A "Security Hole" has been opened!"
"Devil! They're bypassing the firewalls!?"
A roar rang out as a huge shape ran for them.
"It's Beast Man! The "Darkloid"!"
"I remember! Went into a rampage due to "Dark Chip" addiction!"
A giant Beast Man ran for them.
His eyes were blank, and he probably had no will of his own.
"Let us begin the puppet show, shall we? Gentlemen…"
"Wild Rush!"
His head and claws detached and flew for them.
Blues and Omega blocked the claws with their blades.
Prism Man formed the long spear and hit the head's forehead.
Search Man became invisible.
He quickly moved behind the foe.
He loaded his gun.
"Zero-range shot!"
His shot pierced through the foe's chest and the detached head.
The body and the detached pieces fell to the ground.
However, a "Dark Chip" appeared before the mouth.
It activated and formed the "face".
"Devil!"
The wounds regenerated as the body became purple.
Beast Man stood up and became even bigger.
"Monado Buster!"
"What!?"
A figure wearing a raincoat jumped into the air from behind the foe.
A blue energy blade stretched from a red frame.
It tore the foe in half.
Energy covering all colors of the rainbow spread from the center.
The foe was deleted without a trace.
"… You must be Zataki…" Regal calmly muttered.
"… And what of it?"
The person wasn't impressed.
"Nothing. Just looking forward to your mutual annihilation…"
"Be careful of what you wish for, Regal. Same applies to you…"
"Interesting… Let's see what you're capable of, Zataki…"
Regal chuckled again, his voice echoing.
"… The hacking has stopped…" Search Man reported.
"This is going to be annoying…" Blues fumed.
"I know. We'll have to be on the lookout for any odd things…"
"At least we busted their "weed" diversion, so…"
"We can pour our focus on freeing the Japan Site…"
"Frustrating, but it's duty. We can't ignore the reality…"
"Agreed. Let's rest and be ready to raid the Japan Site…"
"The new war has begun…"
"What a dilemma…!"
