Chapter 22

"I don't know, we were kind of in the middle of a vacation…of course we'll help." Yosuke said. "It's the least we can do after they helped save Inaba."

"That's quite a relief." Kikuno said. "There are others who can assist, but it would take days to get them together. Time is of the essence. So, you four, are you from Inaba as well?"

"Actually they're from a parallel universe." Yu replied. "You know about Sho and Adachi. We chased those two to their world and they helped us make the captures."

"I actually believe you." Kikuno said. "I'd be honored to have your assistance as well."

"Of course." Ruby said. "It's our job to help people."

"I'm not sure what the means, but thank you." Kikuno said.

"So, where and when were your last contacts with the Operatives?" Naoto asked.

"They've been missing since last night at around eight." Kikuno replied. "They followed a tip that led to an abandoned warehouse not far from here. I lost contact once they went inside. Yamagishi tried to send a distress call, but she was cut off before she was able to give any information."

"I guess our first step is to check the warehouse." Yang said. "Has anyone been inside to check?"

"No, only non-combat staff remains." Kikuno explained. "We're not equipped for a fight, and it would only make the situation worse if we were lost too."

"That's alright, we'll reconnoiter ourselves." Naoto said.

"I'll remain outside to facilitate communications." Kikuno said. "Do you all have working cellphones with you?"

"I didn't pay for an international plan, so I don't." Yosuke said.

"We don't have any technology from this world." Blake said.

"That's fine; we'll stop to pick some up on the way." Kikuno said. "Let's hurry."

The group arrived at the warehouse. The Shadow Operatives had gone in but never come out. "The outside's clear." Naoto reported. "The building does not connect to any others and there is no one in the area besides us."

"Let's get to it then." Yosuke said. He stepped up to the front door and grasped the handle.

"Wait!" Kikuno called. "You're not properly equipped. It's my understanding that your Persona abilities do not function outside of the Shadow World. You can't go in unarmed."

"We didn't bring weapons." Rise said. "We were only expecting a relaxing vacation."

"That's not a problem." Kikuno said. She opened the back of the Shadow Operatives' SUV. "I brought them." She retrieved a Katana and handed it to Yu. It looked as if it was a genuine piece or at least one made by traditional methods. "After the last incident in Inaba it became clear to the Shadow Operatives that you all might one day become members or at least be utilized in case of emergency. With the assistance of the Kirijo Group I made weapons specifically for your use." She handed a pair of Kunai to Yosuke. They were surprisingly light and fit Yosuke's hands perfectly. "When I found out you were in the area, I thought you might end up involved so I had them rushed here. They specially designed for shadow suppression and should be much more effective than ordinary weapons." Kikuno slapped a magazine into an assault rifle and handed it to Naoto. The black bullpup gun had a holographic sight, multiple firing modes and a foregrip. "Kujikawa, I wasn't sure what you would want, but I guessed you'd be more comfortable with something smaller." Kikuno produced a stun baton for Rise. "You don't need to hit hard, any contact will deliver a powerful electric shock to the target." She closed the back of the SUV. "I'm afraid I don't have anything for the rest of you."

"That's alright, we came prepared." Ruby said. She slid Crescent Rose off of her back and unfolded it.

"They're not costume props." Weiss added as she drew Myrtenaster. "They're finely tuned deadly weapons."

"It sounds like we're ready to go." Yang said. "Open it up."

Yosuke opened the door and the group rushed inside, weapons drawn. They found themselves in an expansive dark room. Rise felt her way along the wall. "I've got the lights." She announced. She flipped the switch and the lights flickered on to reveal a mostly empty room. On the far side were eight beds. On the wall behind them was a large flat-screen TV. Naoto walked to one of the beds to find that Mitsuru was in it, apparently sleeping. Each bed was occupied by a Shadow Operative, and they all looked beat up. At least they were still breathing. Naoto grabbed Mitsuru by the shoulder and shook her. There was no response.

"Are they unconscious?" Blake asked, looking over Yukari. "They look injured." Yukari had a black eye and a trickle of dried blood from the edge of her mouth.

Naoto carefully examined Mitsuru. Her arm appeared to be broken and her face was bruised. "She's breathing normally." Naoto reported. She pulled back Mitsuru's eyelid to reveal her rapidly twitching eye. "I'd need an EEG to confirm it but I'd say she's asleep." Naoto turned to the next bed, holding Akihiko. His shoulder was dislocated and dried blood surrounded his nostrils. Naoto pulled back his eyelid. "He is too. Strange, disturbing them like this should wake them."

"Maybe it's not natural sleep." Rise theorized. "I might be some kind of shadow-related condition."

"The area's secure." Yu reported. "We should get Kikuno."

A short phone call later and Kikuno rushed in. She went down the line giving each Operative the same simple examination Naoto had started until she reached Aigis and Labrys. For them she pulled a small device out of her pocket and plugged it into each robot's arm in turn. "It would appear that they're all sleeping." Kikuno confirmed. "Well, dreaming to be precise."

"Aigis and Labrys are robots, can they even dream?" Yosuke asked.

"Aigis has reported dreaming." Kikuno replied. "They are all exhibiting the symptoms of REM sleep, even the Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons."

"They're robots that dream?" Blake asked with surprise. "That means they must be sentient. They must have personalities."

"Yes, Aigis and Labrys may be mechanical, but their minds are quite human." Kikuno said. "Personality development, particularly the development of an ego, is integral to the manifestation of Persona abilities."

"Wow, we don't have anything like that on Remnant." Yang said.

"Well, there is…never mind." Ruby started and cut herself off before she said too much.

"None of them seem to have suffered life-threatening injuries." Kikuno said. "Aigis and Labrys have suffered severe damage but their core systems are untouched."

"So why won't they wake up?" Rise asked.

"I don't know." Kikuno admitted. "It must have something to do with the shadow activity Amada reported. Until we find the exact cause, we'll need some medical equipment to keep them alive. I'll see to the acquisition of the relevant devices."

"Why don't we just take them to a hospital?" Weiss asked.

"I don't know if it's safe to move them." Kikuno answered. "I would rather not take the risk. For the time being we'll treat them here. Can you keep watch over them while I make the necessary arrangements?"

"You can count on us." Yu said.

It took hours for Kikuno to acquire the medical equipment and hook the Shadow Operatives up. All the while they slept peacefully, never leaving the REM stage. It turned out to be a miserable night, cold, windy and rainy. "They should all be stable now." Kikuno said. "Now we can focus on finding out how to wake them up."

"We don't have any leads." Yosuke sighed. "We looked around and there are no security cameras anywhere near here. The only people who can tell us what happened are unconscious."

The alarm on Yu's phone went off to indicate it was midnight. The television on the wall turned on as yellow-tinted static filled the screen. Instead of resolving into any kind of image, the static remained. "And now we have a lead." Naoto said.

"Must you disturb them?" A deep and heavily distorted voice came from the TV.

"I take it you're the one behind this." Blake said. "Why not show yourself?"

"Can you not understand what is best for them?" The voice questioned, ignoring Blake.

"What do you mean?" Rise asked.

"They are truly happy now." The voice said. "Just leave them be."

"How can they be happy?" Yang asked with simmering anger. "They're unconscious."

"They are ensconced in pleasant dreams." The voice said. "Their lives, the world they must face every day, are filled with so much pain. New worlds have been created in which the causes of their pain have been removed. No longer must they hurt. Would you rob them of that?"

"I don't care what you say." Ruby said. "Living in a dream isn't living. Life can be painful, but pretending the bad things didn't happen won't solve anything."

"We cannot leave them like this." Kikuno said. "They would not want this."

"You are resolved then?" The voice said. "Very well." The voice went silent and the television faded to black.

"Many questions remain unanswered, but I'd call that a lead." Naoto said. "Given that the culprit is using the Midnight Channel, I think it's safe to assume that entering the TV will be the only way to free their minds. The Shadow World is a manifestation of unconscious human thought, so it stands to reason that their dream worlds exist somewhere therein."

"Even if we find their dream worlds, what then?" Rise asked. "How do we wake them up?"

"Maybe if we cause enough chaos the dream will break down." Weiss suggested. "They might not even realize they're dreaming. If we can force them to see the truth, it could wake them up."

"That sounds like a plan." Yang said. "Let's get to it."

"Perhaps you should rest first." Kikuno suggested. "It's been a long and stressful day. If you're going to rescue them, you'll need to be at your best. There are no second chances here."

"We'll get started tomorrow then." Yu said. "We'll be ready."

Upon arriving at the warehouse the following day, Teams RWBY and YYRN found it buzzing with activity. A dozen doctors attended to the unconscious Shadow Operatives while a group of scientists attended to the robots. "Kikuno, what's going on?" Naoto asked. "Who are these people?"

"I called in all the specialists I could find once we determined the Operatives' condition." Kikuno explained. "They only got here about an hour ago. The doctors have worked previous shadow-related cases and those are some of the same researchers that developed the Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons. Unfortunately the majority of qualified individuals in both categories are deceased."

"Well, at least we won't have to worry about their care." Rise said.

"They're in good hands." Kikuno confirmed. "That said, it would be best to move as quickly as possible."

"We'll get right on it then." Ruby said. "Should we use the TV here?"

"Everyone here's in on the secret, so there's no point hiding it." Yosuke said. "We may as well use this one."

The transition into the Shadow World was as disorienting as usual. Once the group came to their senses they found themselves in a long, dimly lit hallway. Walls covered in wood panels and wallpaper stretched on, broken up by doors. Eight doors. The place exuded a feeling of sadness and fear. "Well, I'd better make us an exit now, just in case." Yosuke said. He turned around to do it but found a TV there, much like the one he was about to produce. "That's interesting."

"Let me check that out." Rise said. "Kouzeon!" The image of a six-armed woman in an elegant gown, with a telescope for a head, appeared behind Rise, holding an eyepiece in front of Rise's face. "That's a normal exit alright." Rise confirmed.

"What was that!?" Ruby exclaimed as the rest of her team looked on in shock.

"Oh yeah, you've never seen a Persona." Yosuke said. "It's a bit hard to explain."

"In our world, we can't use our powers without summoning a Persona." Yu explained. "We actually use them to do most of our fighting."

"So there's already an exit here." Naoto thought aloud, ignoring the Persona conversation. "Perhaps the perpetrator has been moving in and out of here."

"Do you think we have Personas?" Ruby asked. "How would we even know?"

"You might." Yu shrugged. "You could try to summon one."

"How would that even work?" Weiss asked.

"Well, try to use your semblances." Yu suggested. "They're the closest thing to an equivalent I can think of. Really concentrate."

"Hit me." Yang said. The others just looked at her. "To activate my semblance, come on." Blake walked up and slapped her. Nothing happened. "You'll have to do better than that." Ruby snuck up behind Yang, grabbed her by the hair and ripped a few strands of her hair out. Yang grabbed the back of her head and spun around. "You'll pay for that!" Yang was engulfed in purple flame. Behind her the image of a beautiful winged woman dressed in flowing if somewhat revealing robes appeared. "Come on Turan!" She shouted the name of her Persona.

"It worked!" Ruby cheered. Yang's Persona reached out its hand and launched a fireball at Ruby. "Eep!" Ruby tried to use her semblance to zip out of the way, but instead she too was engulfed in a purple flame. The visage of a woman shrouded in a white cloak appeared before Ruby and deflected the fireball with a blast of wind. "M-mom?" Ruby stammered as she stared at the glowing figure. Yang's Persona faded and Ruby's followed suit.

"Your Persona is…your mother?" Weiss asked. They all knew about Ruby's mother Summer. They knew how Ruby idolized her, and how much she missed her since her death. Ruby having her mother as her Persona was at the same time beautiful and tragic.

Tears trickled down Ruby's cheek. "I'm sorry about attacking you…and your Persona…" Yang started as she hugged Ruby tightly.

"No, it's okay." Ruby said as she squirmed away. "I just…I wasn't expecting it."

"Well, that put a damper on things." Rise said.

"I guess we should see if we can summon Personas too." Blake sighed. She no longer felt like doing much of anything.

"Yeah, I guess so." Weiss agreed though her heart was not in it either.

Blake black flipped in an attempt to generate one of her doubles. Instead she was bathed in purple flame. The image of a woman clad in leather armor, wielding a gilded bow appeared. She held two arrows, one brilliant and glowing, and the other impossibly dark, and her bow crackled with electricity. "My Persona is Diana." Blake said as it faded.

Weiss tried to generate a glyph but instead was surrounded by purple flames. The visage of a female knight in ornate armor, wielding a longsword of flame and a shield of ice, appeared. "Ananke." Weiss said. Her Persona slowly faded.

"What do they do?" Yang asked. "I don't want to try to have my Persona do something only to find out it can't."

"Good thing for you I've been keeping track." Rise said, Kouzeon just beginning to fade. "Yang, you can use fire based attacks and can boost everyone's defenses. Ruby's can use wind and boost everyone's speed. Blake, yours controls light and darkness based attacks along with electricity. Weiss has fire and ice."

"Now that we've got that out of the way, I guess we should get down to business." Naoto said. "Who should we rescue first?"

"I can't really tell who's behind what door." Rise said. "It's really hazy like there's some kind of interference."

"We might as well just do the first one then." Blake said. She walked up to the door. "There's something written on it. 'Betrayal'. What do you think that means?"

"Maybe it's a clue to whose dream it is." Naoto suggested. "Unfortunately we don't know much about their pasts."

"Let's just go in and find out." Yang said. She pushed past Blake and shoved the door open.

"I know this place." Yosuke said. "This is that school we visited on our trip to Port Island." The ultra-modern school gleamed in the sunlight as students milled about, but there was something wrong. The students did not seem to notice the new arrivals and something about the place felt off.

"Yeah, this is Gekkoukan High School." Rise confirmed.

"Interesting, the Shadow Operatives attended this school." Naoto said. "Their organization was originally a club at the school. The school also served as a research laboratory for the Kirijo Group and the source of the shadow incident they faced."

"How do you know all that?" Weiss asked.

"I investigated the Kirijo Group and the Shadow Operatives on the behalf of the Japanese government." Naoto explained. "The Kirijo Group's past is a horror show, but under Mitsuru they have really turned things around. She seems committed to correcting the wrongs of her family's past."

"Do you think this is her world?" Ruby asked.

"It's not." Rise replied, Kouzeon looming over her. "This is Ken's. He's somewhere in here but I can't tell exactly where. Wherever he is, a strong shadow is with him."

"What about the students, are they shadows too?" Blake asked with her hand on Gambol Shroud. She eyed the students as they filed past, entirely oblivious.

"No, I don't think they're real." Rise said. "They're like holograms. There are several shadows nearby though. I could tell you where if it wasn't for this damn interference."

"We'll just have to look around then." Yu said. He walked forward, heading into the school.

Past a cluster of lockers the room opened up into an expansive atrium. The architecture was futuristic. "Are all schools on earth this impressive?" Weiss asked.

"No, Gekkoukan is funded by the Kirijo Group." Naoto replied. "Most schools aren't nearly this nice."

"Yeah, Yasogami, our high school, is a dump by comparison." Yosuke said.

"Guys!" Rise shouted. "There's a shadow coming!"