AN: This story contains characters of both Kate's and my creation. Any characters from the game Persona are property of Atlus. Thanks go out again to Kate for letting me use her characters! Please e-mail all comments to FrankMayn@comcast.net
As it was, the streets of the city of Lunarvale were not safe at all.
Janet Meyers had that on her mind as she exited St. Hermelin High through the hole in the gym walkway.
The Windian took a deep breath as she looked around at the eerie white landscape. She absently brushed some of the snowflakes that had fallen onto the shoulders of her varsity jacket. As Janet adjusted her backpack, she began to think to herself.
Okay... What to do... The subway. That's where Frank wanted me to go. Ladon... I can't believe I'm actually doing this... But hell... I want to go home... And see Justin and Lucy again... I just hope I don't do anything wrong...
"Hey Yuki..." Janet said as she checked one of the massive clips for the Desert Eagle she was currently using. "Where do we go from here?"
Yuki pulled the GPS from the pocket of her hunter green coat and clicked it on. Immediately, a 3-D map emerged from the device, showing their location in the city as well as any location of importance.
"Myah! Pretty! Purr..." The Nekomata said as she eyed the map. Tammy and Tad both chuckled at the demoness.
"Okay... we're behind the school... We can cut through Sun Mall and exit on the northside... From there, we can turn right, and one of the subway entrances is there..." Yuki explained before shutting the map off and pocketing it again.
Janet nodded. "All right then... Let's..."
However, Tammy interrupted the Windian. "Janet... not to be rude... but... LOOK OUT!!!"
The Windian turned only to notice that a group of Ogres were approaching her group. It was obvious that the three approaching demons had no intention of talking it out, since they were waving their blood stained clubs around.
The adventuring teens and the demoness formed into a battle formation. The first one to react was Tammy, who charged one of the Ogres and stabbed at it. Unfortunately, the stab did minimal damage to the enraged demon. Luckily, she managed to bring her rapier up to block the opposing blow, which surprised both the demon and Janet.
Ladon! She's strong... That thing is nearly twice her height! She wasn't even phased by that thing!
Tad charged another Ogre and swung his rapier with great force. The Persona User managed to leave a crimson red mark on the demon's chest. Before the demon could strike, Yuki acted.
"AHH!!!" Yuki yelled as she threw some glowing black throwing razors at all three demons. The demons yelled in pain as the enchanted blades pierced their thick skin. Immediately, the weapon reappeared in Yuki's hand.
"Now or never..." Janet muttered as she raised her Desert Eagle. She took careful aim at one of the Ogres, and she squeezed the trigger on her gun. However...
"ACK!!! OOF!!!" Janet yelled as the force of the gun nearly threw it out off her tiny hands. Unfortunately, the gun's kick sent her flying back, and she landed rump first into a snow pile. However, her aim was true. She managed to blow the head of one of the Ogres clean off, much to the disgust of the three Persona Users and the demoness.
"Meow... That's totally disgusting..." The Nekomata muttered as she turned her head away from the grisly sight. As it was, Tad and Tammy had managed to get away just before Janet had killed the ogre. Tad was in shock. He couldn't believe that the gun that he had given to her had done that. He took one more look at the body and noticed that blood was spurting from where the head once was, turning the snow around it into a deep red.
"Use your guns! That's the weak spot!!!" Tad yelled as he pulled the Beretta from his pocket. With a quick flick of his thumb, he undid the safety and began to unload 9mm rounds at the remaining two demons.
Tammy grinned as she pulled her sub-machine gun into a ready position. "Chew on this!!!" She yelled as she swept the area with her gun.
Yuki pulled her sawed off shotgun from her jacket. "Here!!!" She yelled as she pulled the trigger in the gun. The combined fire from the three Persona Users quickly dropped the final two Ogres. As soon as the last two fell, the three bodies faded from existence.
"Meow? Janet? Are you okay?" The Nekomata asked as she looked at a Janet-shaped hole in a snowbank.
All Janet did was groan. Immediately, Yuki and the Nekomata helped her out of the snow.
"Ouch... He wasn't kidding about that..." Janet said as she rubbed her now sore arms. "Tad... Can I..."
"No problem Janet... I warned you though..." Tad said as he offered the Beretta and the clips back to the Windian. Janet immediately took them, reloaded the handgun, and slammed it back into her hip holster, which was too small for the Desert Eagle. Janet leaned over and plucked the massive pistol from the snow, and gave it back to Tad along with several of the magazines crafted for the Desert Eagle.
"That was amazing, though..." The Persona User said before holstering his massive handgun and pushing his glasses back up on his face. "How did you manage to keep your aim, despite all that?"
Janet continued to brush the snow from her body. Satisfied that all was well, she adjusted the necktie on her uniform. "I go hunting with my father sometimes... In fact, I've got a revolver of my own... Though it's not as strong as that thing..."
Tad just nodded. "And thanks for showing us what it was weak against... I would have immediately thought magic was the key, but when the gun did that..."
Janet shook her head. "It was nothing at all. Anyway, let's get going."
The entire group looked at Janet and nodded. The adventuring teens and a purring demoness skirted around the bloody snow and slowly made their way to the mall.
After a few more fights and negotiations with the demons, one which Janet had won by insulting a powerful demon (Which showed that Janet was brave enough to take on a high level entity), the group made it into the Sun Mall, just avoiding one last fight when Tad slammed the doors into another group of demons.
"Man..." Tad said between breaths. "These things don't let up..."
Janet took one look at Tad before reloading her Beretta. "What's wrong? Can't handle a few demons?" The Windian said teasingly.
Tad was about to say something, when Tammy spoke up.
"Don't worry about him, Janet. He's not as strong as us girls... Isn't that right, Yuki?" The Devil Summoner/Persona User said with a wink.
"Of course, Tammy..." The Japanese teenager said with a giggle.
However, the Nekomata looked confused. "Meow? What? Sometimes, you all confuse me, myah..."
Tad was looking at the three girls who were all giggling. "Now wait a moment..." The Persona User said while furiously blushing. He took the time to push his glasses back up on his face.
Janet was still giggling. She was able to stop long enough to get a word in with Tad.
"We're just playing with you Tad... Don't worry about it." The Windian said with a chuckle.
Tad fought to get his composure back. "I... I knew that! Really! I did..."
Yuki rolled her eyes. "Sure you did, Tad... Sure..."
"Really! I did!" Tad stammered as he continued to blush. Tammy just continued to giggle at her friend.
"Oh, give it up, boy... You can't win..." Janet said dryly as she shined her gun.
Tad began to mumble, much to the amusement of the other two Persona Users, a Windian, and a demoness.
"Anyway..." Janet stared, before holstering her Beretta yet again. "We've got something to finish up. Shall we press on? Or does anyone need to rest?"
The Nekomata shook her head. "Myah! I'm good to go here!"
Yuki checked her shotgun and her razors before turning back to Janet. "I'm ready to go..."
All Tad and Tammy did was offer the Windian a nod. Janet took the lead, and took her group to the northern exit of the Sun Mall.
As soon as the teenagers were out, they turned toward the east and began running toward the subway entrance. The group narrowly avoided many fights, but just barely made it. One by one, they filed down the staircase.
Janet was the first to notice something important.
"Thank Ladon! It's not a maze down here!!!" The Windian said to no one in particular as she looked around.
"This is one of the places that wasn't affected by the DEVA System, Janet. Other than this place, both parks and St. Hermelin are still normal." Tammy explained.
Janet just nodded before she took a look around again. "That's the station over there, isn't it?"
Yuki nodded at her friend. "It is... though I don't see the shard anywhere. But my Persona..."
Tad looked at Yuki. "Yeah... My Persona feel it too..."
Tammy and the Nekomata began to search the station. However, the shard was nowhere in sight.
"Damn..." Janet muttered. "It's got to be here..."
Tammy was going to answer, when a constant beeping came from her jacket pocket. Immediately, the Persona User pulled her radio out and clicked it on.
"Tammy here..."
A burst of static, then a response.
"Frank here... Tammy... Can I talk to Janet, over."
Tammy clicked the button on the radio again. "Of course, Frank... Just give me a second."
Tammy made her way to Janet and tapped her on the shoulder. Immediately, the Windian turned around.
"Yes?" Janet asked the Persona User/Devil Summoner.
"It's for you." Tammy said with a chuckle. "Just hold this button in and speak, and release the button to receive the message." With those words, Tammy handed Janet the two-way radio.
Janet looked at the radio curiously before pressing the button in.
"Um... Hello?" The Windian asked with a weird look on her face. Immediately, she released the button.
"Janet!" Frank's voice said from the device. "How's it going down there?"
Janet was going to reply when a weak rumble shook her and everyone else in the room. The Windian shrugged it off and pushed the button again.
"Honestly Frank? I don't know... Yuki, Tad, and Tammy can sense the damn thing, but we can't find it anywhere!"
There was yet another burst of static before Frank answered again.
"It's got to be down there... I mean, Kate's mom and Philemon told us that this was one of the places... Then the Persona sense it..."
Janet was going to answer again when a strong rumble knocked her and everyone else off of their feet.
"What the hell?!" Janet yelled. She pushed the button on the radio again.
"Frank... there's something... Something's down..." At that moment, the floor crumbled, dropping everyone into the sewers. Janet, however, had dropped the radio on a ledge in the station. Her screams, along with everyone else's, were the last things Frank heard.
"JANET!!!" Frank's voice screamed over the radio. "ANSWER ME!!! PLEASE!!!" The Persona User's voice said in hysteria.
Janet took a look up at the station, before letting the inky blackness over take her.