Chapter Text
April 13th, 2:47 pm
Suramā Prison Facility, Visiting Area
---Music: Wicked Plan - Persona 5 ---
So, back in the lobby, everyone seems to be mentally preparing in their own ways for what's to come. Within the hour, we're going to reach the location where there will supposedly be the grounds to form a "palace." It seems to be weighing heavily on the minds of the Phantom Thieves in the room. It's clear to see that the Metaverse was something none of them ever expected to come back in such a way. They are all dealing with the news in their own ways, ranging from excitement to apprehension.
"Hang on, guys," I stop, "Before we leave, there's another inmate I want to talk to."
"Shido, right?" Kay infers, "The reformed guy?"
"That's right, Miss Faraday," I confirm, "A lot has happened since we last spoke, and I have a feeling he may have some kind of insight for us."
"Roger that. Also, you can just call me Kay! We're friends and teammates now, right?" Kay grins.
"I'm totally for that," the blonde one, Ryuji, throws out, "I can't keep up with all of this 'mister' and 'missus' stuff. Let's just use first names, yeah?"
"I say we drop all the honorifics in general!" Ritsu smiles amiably, "It's way too stiff for me."
"That would certainly simplify things," Edgeworth agrees, "Though I am not accustomed to going by 'Miles.' If it's all the same to you, just 'Edgeworth,' shall suffice."
"My last name's a lot cooler than my first, so 'Gumshoe' for me, pals!" our trusty detective establishes.
"I'm not picky, either," I share, "Mr. Wright, Phoenix, Nick… whatever works."
"I'm definitely down with being on a first name basis. Just call me Maya!" my partner weighs on the subject.
I rally us back to what we were discussing. "With that all out of the way, let's ask the guards if we can speak with Shido-san."
As before, we make ourselves a bit more sparse by only a few of us going in to see the inmate. In the meantime, both Edgeworth's group as well as Niijima-san and Mishima-san wanted to be briefed on what to expect out of the Metaverse, as they know the least about it. This time it's only Maya and myself, as well as Akira and Morgana.
Shido is led into the room, and upon seeing us, he looks pleasantly surprised. "Ah! I see that your two groups have gotten together after all."
Akira nods. "We're all going to be assisting each other in our investigations."
"That's superb, in my book!" Shido smiles, "I can tell that the matter is in extremely capable hands. If you don't mind my asking, have you discovered anything new?"
"Go ahead and pull up a chair," I suggest, "We've got a whole lot more to talk about."
---Music: Telling the Truth 2007 - Apollo Justice---
Yeesh, where to even begin. While I'm trying to figure out which topics to touch first, Akira takes the initiative. "We've discovered quite a bit more about who our enemies may be. Whoever is leading this whole operation seems to call themselves the 'Director.' We have a couple of leads as to who that could be, or at least as to people who may be able to lead us to them. But, what we know as of now, is that the Director is putting out all kinds of shady job contracts on the darknet."
"Akira, tell him about the Orbs," Morgana pitches next.
"Did that cat just talk?" Shido asks--rather plainly, all things considered.
Morgana blinks. "He can hear me now too?"
"Oh! Morgana, you have the Orb of Heart in your necklace," Maya reminds him, "I think anyone who gets close to or exposed to that spiritual energy might be able to hear you."
"You must be right," he replies, "I guess I should really keep my mouth zipped when out in public from now on, huh…"
"You say 'Orb,'" Shido repeats, "By chance would you be referring to the pearl that we spoke of? Were you able to find it? May I… see it?"
Akira clicks Morgana's collar open, revealing that unearthly glowing light.
"Just as I remember it…" he comments in awe. "I'm glad you were able to obtain it without trouble."
Morgana shakes his head. "Well, someone was trying to buy it off of the curator, so Akira actually was forced to attempt to steal it. A lot of stuff happened… but here we are."
"Someone was going to buy it?" Shido reaffirms, "Do you know who? Or why?"
*!*
"I suppose we never really looked into that…" Maya comments, "I don't really know how we could possibly know. Whoever it was must never have showed up that night? Or maybe they heard the alarm and scrammed."
"So someone out there knows of its value. I shouldn't be surprised," Shido mumbles to himself. "Were you able to find out if this item has powers of any sort?"
"This orb is assuredly supernatural," I endorse, "It seems to be called the 'Orb of Heart,' and I suppose you're seeing its influence first hand. It was one of two core components which at some point fused to create the Metaverse. To my understanding, it allows access to our hearts in the sense of emotion and feeling. I think Morgana here is proof enough, since everyone coming into contact with the Orb is able to hear what he's feeling."
Shido holds his chin as he processes the information. "Fascinating… but does it have anything to do with the potential criminal acts we are worried about? If you have the Orb in your possession, there's no way that someone else could be using its powers, right?"
"There's a second Orb," Akira elaborates, "I was able to meet with a lingering remnant of Wakaba Isshiki, and she told me that there were two Orbs in total. The 'Orb of Mind,' is what the second one is called. We're thinking that one may allow control over the minds of those who are exposed to it. That's the most reasonable explanation we can come up with for all of the bizarre murders and betrayals. It's almost a certainty that, whatever that Orb does, our enemies have it."
We're all in deep thought right now. "Tell me," Shido finally speaks, "The Orb of Mind was the other core component, yes? If I'm understanding, then in some way the two Orbs together were what created the Metaverse."
"Yep, you got it," Maya affirms, "And when the Metaverse was 'destroyed,' the Orbs turned back into their original forms."
"Hmm… I suppose Hibiki-san must have never realized the Orb disappeared for the entire time that the Metaverse had existed," Shido reasons. "Had I been keeping this Orb myself, I would have immediately noticed it disappear. But I suppose that is neither here nor there, as long as the Orb is in your possession."
"We're actually going to look into whether or not the Metaverse truly exists still," Akira further clarifies, "There's still a lot we don't know about the Orb and what it does."
---Music: Logic Trinity - Dual Destinies ---
Shido scratches his chin. "So I was ruminating on these matters for quite some time after we last spoke. I think I may recall the name of a person who could help to understand more about it."
"Oh?" Morgana probes.
"I recall a colleague of Isshiki-san's from back in the days of her research. She was an American psychologist named Metis Cykes. I only vaguely remember her, and it took me a while to recollect her name since she was only ever in Japan a few times. However, I do know that she and Isshiki-san collaborated on a handful of projects together, and the two kept remote contact here and there. There's a chance that Cykes-san may have notes or memories of Isshiki-san's research in some capacity. They had very high opinions of one another, so I trust that she may be the only one out there who could potentially help you to analyze the capabilities of that Orb."
Maya seems to have already gotten on her phone. "Hey, Nick! She seems to be in California like us! We could find the institution she works at pretty easily. Maybe we should take a return trip home to hit this lady up?"
"Now there's a thought," I consider, "I can look into getting some tickets for us to head back later in the week. Though I hesitate to take more multi-timezone flights… we'll have to drag my sleep schedule along, kicking and screaming…"
---(Music End)---
"That sounds like as good a lead as any," Morgana muses, meowing with content. "Thank you for the info, Shido-san!"
"Think nothing of it," he smiles softly, "I may not be able to do much from behind this glass, but you can count on my support in whatever ways I can provide it."
"Well, we should get a move on. I know the others are going to be anxious," Akira reminds us. He bows, and we all bow to him in turn.
"Good luck, everyone," Shido wishes us, as we head out, "And be careful. We still don't know who this Director is and what they are capable of. So please, stay safe."
"Man… you can hardly tell that guy was once the most evil person imaginable," Morgana speaks on the side as we leave, "Knowing that he has reformed into such a good person just reminds me how much of a difference we made as Phantom Thieves back in the day."
"Depending on how the rest of the day goes," Akira begins with a smirk, "The Phantom Thieves may be back in the game."
There's an empty stretch of hallway leading from the visitation room back to the lobby, leaving us walking down a rather private area. I hear the voice of… Yashin? It sure sounds like her. I turn and see her approaching our group. "Funny seeing you here again, Mr. Wright," she calls.
---Music: Rainy Rose - God Hand---
Her toothy grin stands out all the more as she closes her eyes to smile in a friendly manner. As before, she's still in her white business suit with the grey vest underneath it, with her white-on-one-side-black-on-the-other bowtie. Her hair, still very distinctly white like her suit, has those grey lines going through them. I know I just saw her earlier today, but now that I'm not as laser focused as I was in courtroom-mode, her appearance strikes me with a sense of familiarity that I didn't notice before.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," she jokes, "It hasn't even been half a day, yet you seem so surprised to see me."
"My apologies," I backtrack, careful not to stare too intently this time, "I'm just thinking to myself that you look very similar to your dad. I remember I saw Kigeki Yokubō on a news broadcast the other day. I didn't realize you were related to him, but the resemblance looks obvious now that I know.."
"Yep," she nods, "We both look good in white, always have. I was almost a politician like him, but he settled on me going into law instead once he realized-- er, I'm sorry. I've gotten off topic. I was just chiming in to say hi. Are you still working together with Niijima-san on a case?" she asks.
"In a manner of speaking, yes," I answer, "She's in the lobby right now waiting for us to get back, if you want to swing by and say hello."
"I appreciate the cordiality," she smiles, "I don't know if I have quite that much time to spare, I need to get Hebi Hibiki into the interrogation room for further questioning. I really had one thing in particular I wanted to ask you about. I certainly didn't mean to eavesdrop, but when the doors opened and you left the visiting room, I heard the last couple of words. Did one of you all mention someone called 'the Director?'"
*!*
Oh man… none of us can think of precisely how to answer her question, given the subject material is something we'd been keeping secretive about. "We were talking about Masayoshi Shido's least favorite movie," Akira responds casually, trying to keep it cool, "He's very opinionated on the director of the film."
Her lips shift a bit as she looks at us curiously. "Hmm. From the tone of voice I had assumed the conversation had a little more substance than cinema critique," she analyzes. "Eh. I shouldn’t have been listening in, anyway. Well, I’ll let you folks get back to your day. Take it easy, alright?"
---(Music End)---
We part ways in opposite directions, keeping quiet until she's no longer in earshot. "That was… weird," Morgana comments.
"With how she asked about the Director, it felt like she had an idea of what we could have been talking about," Maya reflects.
"She definitely knows more than she lets on," Akira adds, "I've been wanting to ask her up front why she never mentioned my criminal history in the trial today. That's a risky question to ask, though. If I'm assuming wrong, and she actually doesn't know, I'd basically be turning myself in by admitting that."
"If she does know that you're a Phantom Thief, but never mentioned it, doesn't that seem like she'd be helping us?" Maya asks, making a good point in the process. "We've already got Ritsu and Edgeworth involved… is there a chance that Yashin may be willing to help us, too?"
"Now that's a tough call," I respond, "She's really perceptive… she'd make a good ally."
"Let's just keep our eyes on her, for now," Akira suggests, "We have enough on our plates as it stands."
"So, we're off to Mizusawa's office now, right?" Maya asserts.
"No time like the present," I smile, "Let's get back with the rest of the group and get organized before we head out."
April 13th, 3:00 pm
Outside Kaz Mizusawa's Office
---Music: Restlessness - Persona 5 ---
Well, here we are. The address Mizusawa gave us led straight to his office… "Mizusawa Private Security Agency," is what the label says. It's not excessively large; room enough for an office as well as a seated area for waiting customers, I'd imagine.
"This is bigger than I thought it would be," Maya expresses, "I pictured more of a 'small section in a larger strip mall,' type deal."
"To have an office space this big in Ginza is remarkable," the brown haired girl, Makoto, points out.
"He must not have been lying about being well off!" Alibaba-- er, Futaba, comments. It's going to take me a while to get used to calling her by her real name.
"Should we have a role-call to make sure everyone is here?" the fluffy haired Haru requests.
The Phantom Thieves are all named, and they each respond. Ryuji, who goes by Skull, Ann, the blonde with pigtails who goes by Panther. Yusuke, or Fox, the blue haired artist. Makoto, their senior who they address as Queen. Futaba, also known as Oracle, the navigator. Haru, the cheerful girl who named herself Noir. Of course, Akira and Morgana as well. "By the way, I never really stopped to ask," I speak to them, "Do the two of you have code names as well?"
"I'm Mona," Morgana explains, "And Akira is Joker."
Noted. Then we've got our group. Myself, Maya, Edgeworth, Gumshoe, and Kay. Ritsu as well, can't forget him. Then, lastly, we round out with Sae, Mishima, and Sojiro.
"We're kinda standing out, being a huge group and all," Ann mentions, "And I doubt that we're all going to be going into the Metaverse here. We have too many… what's a good word to use? 'Civilians,' maybe?"
"For lack of a better term," Yusuke agrees, "There's a clear distinction between those of us who are Phantom Thieves and those of us who are not."
"I mean, I get that," Ryuji diverts, "But we kick all KINDS of ass. I'm sure we can easily clear the path so they can just follow along after us, right?"
"So, I get that this 'Metaverse' place is dangerous, or something," Gumshoe speaks, "But whatever happens, I'm coming with you, pals! Someone's gotta look after you!"
"I'm going, too," Ritsu asserts. "I get the impression things are going to get ugly in there. If that's the case, I want to be there to protect everyone."
"Don't worry about me," Sojiro chuckles, "This kind of thing is a little out of my league. I'm just here because we're in multiple cars and need another driver to get everyone home when this is finished."
"Much as I loathe to admit, I think I'm on the same boat," Sae comments, "Though maybe things will be different if you teach me some of your martial arts, Makoto."
Makoto smiles, "I'm sure you'll pick up on akkido quickly, sis. But that's a good call. I think that those of us without Metaverse experience, or without police training, should stay here."
"That's for the best," I agree, "I wouldn't want any of us getting hurt."
Mishima has a sad look on his face. "I'm no good with my arm in a sling like this, so I'd be sitting out either way… still, though. I've been a fan of the Phantom Thieves since day one! Could I… at least get to see what the Metaverse is like?"
"Yeah, seriously!" Maya jumps in, "After all this, you've gotta at least show us a LITTLE bit of what this whole Metaverse thing is like."
"I too wish to bear witness to this," Edgeworth announces, "So we should move right along with this process and see what this Metaverse is all about."
The thieves speak amongst themselves a bit, before Akira addresses us. "As long as we're outside of the palace, it shouldn't hurt to let you guys take a look."
He takes out his smartphone to give it one last try. "Metaverse cannot be located," the voice predictably chimes. Just like we realized, everyone else's phone won't allow them to use the app, for some reason. That just leaves one last person who can though.
We all turn to look at Edgeworth's younger partner, the de-facto leader of their 'Yatagarasu' group. "Kay, could you show us that device again? Your Little Thief?" Akira calls.
She pulls out the device, which looks kinda like a clunky remote control. She clicks the app on the screen, and the Meta-Nav appears. "Alright! So, if I've got this right… we need a name, a location, and a distortion! So let's give this a shot."
Thankfully, we should know all three of those things now. Now all Kay has to do is say them to the app. "'Kaz Mizusawa,' 'office,' and 'base!'"
---(Music End)---
Whoa… the world feels like it's turning into jelly…! I feel a surreal kind of unease that batters against me rhythmically as if I'm being hit by the ripples of a big splash. I feel a bit nauseous, but then…
April 13th, 3:10 pm
Fort Kaz, Exterior
Wait. Holy cow! It's night time now! Out of thin air, the building that we were standing a ways away from… actually is a gigantic military base! The exterior is guarded by barbed wire fences, surrounding tremendous concrete walls as if a double-layered deterrent to keep people out completely.
This is seriously unreal! It's really clear to see who has been in the Metaverse before and who hasn't, just judging by the reactions everyone is having. And… judging by how all of the Phantom Thieves are now in completely different clothing, and all wearing masks.
---Music: Invitation to Freedom - Persona Q2---
"Hahahaha!" Ryuji cheers, tugging at his shirt and getting comfortable in his outfit. He's dressed in leather like a biker, and his mask certainly matches his namesake of 'skull.' "Baby, it is GOOD to be back!" he cheers.
I take a moment to get used to the new appearances of the others. Futaba is in a black suit with glowing green highlights like something out of a sci-fi movie. Ann is in a red bodysuit with a panther mask and a thin tail. Yusuke is dressed kind of like a ninja with a fox mask and also with a tail, though a fluffier one than Ann's. Haru is dressed like a french noble, with a tipped hat, black mask, and looks like she could give Edgeworth a few fashion tips on how to wear frilly neckwear. Makoto looks even more like a biker than Ryuji does, oddly enough.
Akira is wearing almost all black, with a lengthy tail coat, red gloves, and a mask that almost looks like one a harlequin would wear. All together, their whole group oozes the type of flair I should have expected from a group calling themselves Phantom Thieves.
---(Music End)---
WHOA! There's… some kind of bobble headed creature with a tail and a black mask! It looks like… a cat… kind of?
"Er," I speak as I stumble backwards, "Morgana, is that you?"
I must have been the first to notice, because now that I've drawn attention to him the others are becoming shocked as well. "I probably should have warned you all that this is my real form… sorry if that startled anyone," he apologizes.
Sojiro rubs the back of his head in wide-eyed awe. "I can't believe this is the kind of thing that you kids were doing the whole time you were Phantom Thieves. To think that you were all actually going to parallel worlds…"
"WOW! INCREDIBLE!" Mishima shouts, nearly squealing, "I finally get to see the Metaverse!! THIS IS SO COOL!!"
"So… how come Little Thief lets me use this app, but nobody else can?" Kay asks.
"Allow me to share my hypothesis from earlier," Edgeworth announces. "The Little Thief was designed for the recreation of crime scenes. The Orb of Heart possessed by our friend Morgana was formerly one of the core components of this supposed Metaverse, but it alone is not powerful enough to take the form of the Metaverse authentically."
"Is it not becoming the Metaverse right now, though, Mr. Edgeworth?" Gumshoe asks.
"You would be forgiven for thinking as much," Edgeworth explains, tapping his finger against his brow with one eye closed in a very confident, knowledgeable pose, "But I believe what we see before us may very well be simply a recreation of such. And in any case, my deduction can be proven quite simply if we just take a look into the jewelry Morgana carries."
We all turn to see Morgana pop open the locket within his necklace. The Orb of Heart is still inside of it, and it radiates with almost cosmic distortions.
"I see... so if this truly were the Metaverse, the Orb would no longer be here, as it would have changed back into its metaphysical form?" I imply.
"Indeed," he confirms.
"So if it isn't truly the Metaverse… shouldn't we come up with a name for whatever this place is?" Yusuke suggests.
"Maybe the 'Pseudo-verse?'" Maya pitches.
"Since the Little Thief is making it, how about the 'Little-verse!'" Kay suggests cheerily.
"I kinda like the idea of calling it 'The Crime Scene,'" detective Ritsu proposes, ever the fan of crime noir.
"That one sounds pretty cool!" Morgana nods.
"We can finalize the name later," Akira announces, and we can tell by the assertive tone in his voice that he's ready to get down to business. "For now, we need to separate those of us who will be infiltrating from those who will stay behind at the cars."
"You kids watch your backs, and don't do anything stupid," Sojiro cautions gravely. I can tell he's deeply concerned for their safety, as any good guardian would be, but even stronger than his fear seems to be his trust in them.
Sae mirrors the sentiment. "But be careful. I'm counting on all of you coming back safe and sound."
"Ditto!" Mishima nods, "But I know you guys will handle everything just fine. Get in there and kick some ass!"
Well, it's clear that these three are bowing out. What isn't clear is where that leaves Maya and myself, and Edgeworth's group.
---Music: Tuxedo Snake (VR Mission - Tuxedo) - Metal Gear Solid 2 ---
"Alright, team," Akira beckons, "We need to lay the groundwork of what we're here to do today."
The Phantom Thieves all gather around in a loose circle, as if huddled together. "Shouldn't it be the same as always?" Futaba asks, "Find the treasure that's causing the palace to exist?"
Morgana has his eyes closed. "I don't know if it's going to be that simple. Something feels… different. I can't put my paw on what, though."
"Hey, guys," Maya calls. It looks like she's… glowing, a bit? "I can feel that this is Mizusawa's spirit we are inside, now. It's really clear. But I feel like someone else's spirit is in here, too. Really faintly… but that other spirit I feel is causing a lot of turmoil in Mizusawa."
"Maya… what do you mean?" Haru questions, "How can you tell something like that?"
"Oh, Maya is a spirit medium," I explain, "Maybe we haven't mentioned it because it didn't come up until now… but, well, channeling spirits is what she does."
"For real?!" Ryuji blinks, "That's kinda wicked cool, to be honest."
Yusuke holds his chin and thinks. "Perhaps reading Mizusawa's spirit could lead us to the treasure causing the distortion more easily?"
"There's definitely something causing this change in his spirit," Maya confirms, "But it feels like something, or someone, else is putting pressure on Mizusawa. Like there's another force at work here."
"I can feel the same thing, Maya," Morgana agrees, "And I think it might have to do with the fact that Mizusawa said he was under a 'contract,' remember? If someone really is using the Orb of Mind to force people into doing things, that should have some sort of reflection on their cognition. Maybe we're not looking for a treasure, but for something else entirely… Maya, how strongly can you feel that presence?"
She sticks her tongue out and squints her eyes with an intense attempt at concentrating. "This sensation… I think it will get stronger if we get closer to what's causing it."
"Well, team," Morgana curves around, "I think she's right. I'm from the Metaverse, so part of it feels intuitive to me. But there's no way I could pin down something specifically causing a disturbance here. I think Maya being a spirit medium may be a big help to us. Maya, would you be willing to come along with us?"
"Of course!" she calls emphatically, "Just lead the way!"
"Hang on," Akira stops us, "We just talked about not doing anything to put our non-combatants in danger. Maya, can you hold yourself in a fight? Know how to use any weapons?"
"We might need to take Kay along as well," Futaba/Oracle reasons, "The Little Thief device is the thing supporting this world's existence, and there's no telling how far that influence can stretch. It would be pointless to enter at all if there's a chance for us to extend outside of its range and end up back in the real world, wouldn't it?"
Akira holds his chin with one hand while keeping the other in his pocket. "So we may need to bring both Kay and Maya…"
"If that's the case, then no sweat, pal!" Gumshoe speaks up proudly, thumping his chest, "You Phantom Thieves can do your Phantom Thief things, but with detective Ritsu 'n' me here, the two of us can look after whoever we need to!"
"Which just leaves the two of us," Edgeworth states, looking at me. "What say you, Wright?"
"I'd hate to come this far only to stay on the sidelines…" I admit, "But, realistically, I think it would put the entire group in danger if too many of us tag along and get into a bad situation."
"Dude," Ryuji announces, "Why don't they, uh, ride inside Mona, or something? It'd be nice and safe in there."
"Wait… what?" Maya asks, speaking for all of us.
"That's… not a bad idea, actually," Morgana nods. In a puff of smoke, Morgana actually turns into a rather large vehicle.
Well, now I've seen everything.
"Hang on, here," Makoto interjects, "I don't think that will work. Just take a look at what we're dealing with here in this palace."
I, as well as the others, take in our surroundings. We can't see the interior through the thick, concrete wall surrounding the perimeter. However, everything else we can sense about the place tells us that it's certainly a military base. There's even a far-off blare from what must be an air-raid siren. The scent of diesel and other mechanical smells fill the night air so strongly that I can practically taste oil. There's even a gusting breeze that must be coming from the jet-planes flying low altitude rounds faster than their own engine roars can keep up with. Every last one of our senses confirms that this location, whether in the real world or not, is as tangible as any other.
Makoto points specifically to a tower that stretches high above the protective walls of the base, tall enough that we can see it clearly. "There are guard towers around the entire base, and they are shining spotlights around," she explains. "I don't need to remind the team that sneaking around and not getting caught are two of the most important things to do as Phantom Thieves, but this palace might take the importance of stealth to a whole new level."
"So, what you are saying is, there's no way we could sneak an entire bus through a place like this…" Ann summarizes cleanly.
This all leaves a foul taste in my mouth. I want to help, I really do! But I'm not really a fighter in any sense… but can I even contribute in my own way enough to justify my coming with them?
---(Music Fade Out)---
Hmm… I actually have an idea. "Akira--"
"Call us by our codenames, remember?" Morgana--er, Mona--interrupts. I guess he can still talk while in bus form.
"Right. Sorry. Joker," I correct, "I recall at one point you mentioned how fluid cognition is in this metaphysical realm. Specifically, you said that all of your weapons are replicas, right? But they are able to function as real weapons simply because the shadows within the Metaverse believe they are real?"
"That's right," he nods.
"If that's the case, I actually have a plan on how to get inside the base, cat car and all," I announce.
*!*
"Why do I get the feeling that you're about to make your biggest bluff to date, Wright?" Edgeworth speaks, and I can read his curiosity and intent to hear me out.
"Well, here's what I'm thinking," I elaborate, "Why don't we just drive it right on through the entrance to the base? If these shadows are as gullible as we're thinking they are, why not just tell them that this is a military convoy and that we're bringing in a supply shipment?"
"I don't know if--" Joker begins to speak, but he stops so abruptly that his mouth stays open halfway through the sentence, only to close silently. He seems to be speechless.
"How in the world would we manage to pull THAT off?" Ritsu questions.
"Mr. Nick may be on to something!" Kay agrees, "Little Thief is a hologram projector, after all! Just give me a moment to try and change the settings here…" she trails off, hard at work crunching data with her device.
---Music: Reproducing the Scene ~ The Gentleman Thief's Secret Weapon - Ace Attorney Investigations 2---
At Kay's command, parts of the Mona bus start to change and morph as she cycles through the settings. At first, we see an SUV, then, then a jeep, but then it shifts to a military-style truck. The colors adjust fluidly as if it were an art program and the color code was being adjusted. Once it becomes a believable shade of green, a few patterns appear in sequence. First polkadots, then tiger stripes, and finally army camouflage. Lastly, she rotates through the selection of various tires until finding a style with large treads which matches the shape, size, and color of the rest of the truck.
"The majority of us can hide in the back of the truck!" she explains, "How many of us need to stay visible in the front? Probably a driver and then one other person, right?"
"Sounds about right," Joker nods, "We'll pick two of us who Mizusawa hasn't seen before so the shadows won't recognize them."
"Queen usually drives the bus anyway," Oracle reasons.
"I'll ride shotgun, since I've got the shotgun," Skull jokes.
Oh geeze, he actually does have a shotgun. I didn't recognize it at first, but all of the Phantom Thieves have a variety of blunt weapons as well as firearms. Yikes. What exactly am I getting myself into, here…
In much of the same process as how the truck was modified, Kay begins changing the clothes of Queen and Skull, until they are both in camouflaged fatigues as well. They look perfectly disguised as military personnel!
"Ta-da~!" Kay cheers.
"That Little Thief device is dope!" Oracle speaks with fascination, "You'll have to let me try it out some time! I could learn a lot from that kind of unique tech… maybe even build my own!"
Fox waives his hand through the "truck" and he is able to pass through it like water. I can hear the sound of a sturdy touch against metal just slightly below where the surface of the hologram appears to be. So the truck disguise is ever so slightly larger than Mona is, but they are similar enough that they can match visibly. Whoever takes the wheel inside the bus will appear to be driving the convoy truck as if it were real. "So the hologram is only on the surface, and the true Mona bus is within…" Fox mentions. "It's almost as if Mona's bus form itself is just wearing a large mask."
"Hey, guys, I think we're overlooking something important," Panther speaks, drawing our focus to her. "They don't just let anyone into a military compound! It doesn't matter how we look if we don't have identification! They'll probably want to check for badges and stuff…"
"That ruse can be arranged, as well, as a matter of fact," Edgeworth speaks up. "Miss Sae? As I imagine, this Mizusawa character had some form of identification as to present himself as a bodyguard. We certainly know he has a license here in his own home. Did he have a badge, or card, or some such thing?"
"Yes, he did," Sae nods, "I have a photocopy of it in my court documents. The real card is in an evidence locker, however. Plus, it's not like we could fool the guards with the guy's OWN ID."
"I think what Edgeworth was getting at," I add, "Is involving the Little Thief again. If Kay knows what the real badge looks like, we can use it as a template and make fake ID card holograms for ourselves in the same format as the original. Isn't that right?"
"Now that's clever!" Ritsu compliments, "But won't it be really difficult to make it look like we're holding holograms without our fingers accidentally going right through them or something?"
"Then let's put the holograms over physical objects like the truck we're putting over Mona," Joker suggests, and turns to one of his teammates. "Oracle, take out your Magic cards."
"Hell no!" she spits back, "My super secret rares are worth more than the salaries of any of the adults here!"
"That's not a very high bar, pal…" Gumshoe sighs in defeat.
"Just use Skull's deck!" Oracle asserts forcefully.
"... you play Magic: The Gathering…?" a slightly astonished Joker asks Skull.
"Er, yeah, I guess," he answers, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a stack of slightly-worn trading cards held loosely together with a rubber band. He hands Queen a card, and takes out one himself.
"Uh, Skull, I thought you said that these were Magic cards," Queen comments.
"They are, this is my fire deck," he confirms.
"You just handed me a 7 of Clubs," she shakes her head.
"Oh, so that's where that went," Skull scratches his chin. "Well, a card's a card. This should be enough for Kay to work with, right?"
Kay holds the paper with a copy of the ID card and uses her Little Thief to flash a picture of it. She then turns to Queen and Skull. "Smiles and say, 'fuzzy pickles!'" she states with a grin, before snapping two additional photos of our teammates. With some quick editing, she is able to craft up a faithful copy of the original ID, but with mugshots representing the Phantom Thieves in their disguises. She applies the designs in holograph form over the two playing cards, and they instantly appear to be authentic ID badges.
---(Music Fade Out)---
"I think that ought to do it!" Kay speaks with a cocky grin. "Do you think this will work, Mr. Nick?"
"It should work perfectly!" I nod, smiling, "This is just what I had in mind. The guards should let us pass no problem, and once we get to somewhere safe we can get out and start investigating."
"Impressive work, Kay. And good thinking, Phoenix," Joker smirks, "I'm feeling a bit less worried about bringing you all along knowing what you're all capable of. But if things get ugly in there, just duck out and let us take care of it, understood?"
"That much we can do," I agree, "We aren't the types to get into fights anyway."
"But Nick," Maya interjects, "What about the time with all the superheroes when we fought Galactus?"
"I'm pretty sure that was just a dream," I rationalize, "After all, there's no way that could have possibly happened… right?"
"Ok, yeah, I guess it was a little far fetched. But what about the time when Morrigan gave us special powers so we could go on that cross-dimensional adventure?"
"Uh… also a dream?" I answer, feeling less certain of myself the more I think about it.
"Actually, I think I vaguely recall something to that effect as well…" Edgeworth mentions, "Did that actually happen? How peculiar…"
"Ok, uh, back on topic, at least…" I try to refocus, "We should get started with the infiltration."
"Hey, we're forgetting something else important to," Oracle brings up, "We need to come up with code names for the newbies!"
"Excellent point," Mona chimes in. "All true Phantom Thieves have codenames! Do you guys have anything in mind in terms of quick, snappy words we could use to refer to you?"
---Music: Tricks and Baroque - Ace Attorney Investigations---
"I want to be The Steel Samurai," Edgeworth interjects so abruptly and so quickly he practically interrupts the end of Mona's sentence. It feels like he was waiting for this very moment the entire time.
"That's a bit long…" Queen comments, "Perhaps, just 'Samurai?'"
Edgeworth thinks it over briefly with his eyes closed as he thinks. "Hrm. Very well. Good enough, I suppose."
"Then I'll be 'Ninja!'" Kay asserts.
"That's a good one," Joker nods.
Gumshoe seems to be mulling over his own name. "Well, I guess I do have my seven secret weapons. And when you get all sevens at the slot machines, you win. So how about 'Jackpot!'"
"Stylish! And with Flair! I love it!" Mona approves heartily.
"I want to be 'Noir' then, like the old crime movies," Ritsu speaks up.
"Oh, I'm sorry, detective…" Haru says with regret, "But my name is already 'Noir…'"
"Oh, is that right? Dang," Ritsu snaps his fingers. "What about, 'Private Dick,' then?"
"That's MY actual name, pal," Jackpot shakes his head.
"... 'Private Eye…?'" Ritsu suggests cautiously.
"That one is similar to Oracle, and we have that one too," Fox explains solemnly.
"Ok then, what about 'Hawkshaw?' Take it or leave it because I'm seriously out of ideas if this one doesn't work."
"That actually sounds pretty cool," Panther compliments, "I think that one will work."
Hawkshaw audibly breathes a sigh of relief. He was clearly trying hard to come up with a cool name.
"Well, I'm a spirit medium, so my name doesn't have to be too complicated," Maya reasons, "I'm ok with being called 'Ghost' or something."
"Dude!" Skull cheers, "You act like that's nothing special, but that sounds badass! Like some secret agent shit or something!"
"Guess that just leaves yourself, Wright," Samurai shifts the topic to me.
I don't know, I don't feel like I've ever been one for nicknames--ironically, I might point out. I need to think of something that describes me well. What is special about me? I am a defense lawyer, after all. Protecting people is what I do. Should my codename reflect that?
"I think I've got an idea," I alert them, "What do you all think of 'Knight?'"
"Hmm… I can dig it!" Ghost agrees, "It fits you."
---(Music Fade Out)---
"It seems this matter is settled," Samurai nods. "I suggest we get a move on."
"Queen, Skull, take the front," Joker instructs, "Everyone else, let's hop into the back of the Mona bus. Be sure not to make a single noise until we get past the front guards."
We file in and get prepared mentally for what may be our most dangerous adventure yet. I just hope that, whatever we find in this palace, it ends up helping us to understand more about what it is we're fighting for, and perhaps even who we're fighting against...
To be continued...
---Music: Jingle ~ That's All For Today - Apollo Justice---
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