You're perplexed when Lady Phantasme makes you crouch down in the car, but she placates you with a loose explanation of Slim's role: the munitions crew is on standby in the area, while the broader Masque is creating some stir in Nerima which, apparently, feeds into one member's ardent desire to have her favorite seiyuu tied up.
But having parked in a blind spot (about half a kilometer away), she looks meaningfully down the road and holds out her hands like a child asking for a piggyback ride.
Third door down in that complex... that's our place.
Let's get to the roof.
This time, when she said "we can get aerial," it turned out she meant we.
You sure? Again?
He chuckled, but a bit nervous like always having her on his back.. but he's gotta do what he's gotta do.
He stretches out his wings and allowed her to get behind him. As soon as she got on him, he proceeds to fly up. As he did that, he seemed to stumble a bit. Lady acted almost like Ryuk was a horse, shouting 'fly away!'. Not for long he fully got in the sky.
She was more than.. delighted. That's for sure.. almost like it was some kind of stereotypical villain scene of her clearly scheming something with a laugh.
. . .
As soon as they arrived to the roof, she got off of him, twirling around. He stretched ever so slightly.
Okay, now what's the pla-
Before he could even speak, she was already speed walking away from his sight, and he panics.
Hey! Aren't ya gonna tell me?!
He whispered to her, and sweats a little.
Lady Phantasme begins drilling holes in the ceiling.
Put it this way... threatening Montag with my blog was pure bluff. Under the hood, in the land of hidden comments, Montag's got a pretty high approval rating even with the Masque. The bastard's good.
Not Slim, Slim gets the picture, but when I told him everything I wanted to do to the creep, he asked me (a bit bitchily) to "keep it in my pants" till we get back to base... which we should be doing in fairly short order. Pants intact. He's being a whiny bitch, but that doesn't make him wrong.
After that... NHN won't do one thing about it, not over the box of salt I'm giving Bigwiggins his ears in. You'll see. ♪
She fills the holes with blasting powder, strings some marinated twine, and retreats ten feet to set the match. A nearly perfect square of flame blossoms into a ragged, smoldering hole.
She smilingly glances at you over her shoulder, tossing her favorite wig, and, without further ado, jumping into the hole.
Stone made the first line of defense. The closet wouldn't accommodate more than one, but he'd insisted on the post. His helplessness, as Bigwiggins saw his death in room 222 - well, on a lifetime scale, helplessness couldn't be helped. But in the particular case of Lady Phantasme, Stone wouldn't be put in that spot again.
Near had expressed a marked preference for Lady Phantasme being taken alive. But it was clear that he would settle for her death. Better to ask forgiveness than ask permission, but in truth, Stone tacitly had both. Officially, in fact, Montag's life was immaterial to the success of the mission... but only Montag and possibly Near actually believed that.
Without advance warning from the perimeter, Stone saw, through the crack of the closet, Montag tense up and raise his fingers to his lips.
She's above us, Montag quietly intoned. She intends to take me to her base, to brutally kill me, and foresees no--
The roar was deafening.
Without any warning at all, Lady Phantasme descended to the floor in a swift and workmanlike base jump.
And between what he'd heard and what had come, Stone choked at the trigger.
You think he's noticed us?
Ryuk decided it was the perfect time to say that as Lady made her grand and dramatic entrance. All eyes were on her...
I'm sure he has- AHH!
Before he could finish his sentence, one of them grabbed the trigger and shot- although they missed. Ryuk even though he can't even be shot dodged the bullet, scared out of his mind while Lady elegantly dodged. She looked at him, annoyed with how he doesn't exactly.. swiftly does it with much style.
Ehh.. hyuk.. my bad.
He awkwardly spoke. Meanwhile... the showdown was already in motion. The room was tense, and as he knew it, Montag and Lady was staring each other down, almost like a predator circling their prey..
Ryuk... Lady Phantasme jerked her head to the closet. Get both his arms. Because if that guy can't swat you incorporeal, who does that leave? Montag? (She smiled briefly at the attention-seeking jackass's struggles to sit up and face her.) I'll just...
She strained futilely to lift the sickbed.
No human shield, then. She quickly fell flat.
Before he could be incapacitated, Stone made his shot... not at Lady Phantasme's head. At the space where Lady Phantasme's head had been a moment before.
Now occupied by Montag's left foot.
Montag closed his eyes momentarily, feeling the wetness but not yet registering the pain. The first line was failing. His chances of survival were now... well, he'd never had the knack of quoting percentages. Slim to negligible. And depending on the idea currently rattling about in Lady Phantasme's skull, the one which made her so sure his comrades would stand by...
Shinigami, said Montag, his left hand searching under the mattress. I can't say I require the same service as the last time. (And you will notice I didn't require it then.) But I trust you wouldn't object to the same payment?
But uh-
It seemed like he was at a stuck in the middle. Again.
He thought he wouldn't be!
He did what Lady demanded.
He then paused, thinking about the situation with him and Montag as soon as he mentioned it. He remembered the last time the whole ordeal happened between him and Montag. The apples. But he mustn't! He won't fall for it like last time. Lady wouldn't give him more apples if he were to just openly accept it. He doesn't pick sides, and bribery won't work.
It is.. quite tempting. But I'm not going to just give in like that.
Or will he, if he saw the apples?
Montag's hand emerged from under the mattress with an apple-shaped handful of thin air. He grinned savagely.
Your services are not really necessary.
--
Montag had given them both precious time, and Stone hadn't paused to question the gift. As this exchange took walked from the closet behind Ryuk, secured a better angle, and fired on Lady Phantasme.
Hit to the thigh. Doesn't look like the femoral artery, more's the pity... but Near should be happy, anyway. Odds are she's not getting up on her own power.
Hm...
Fuck! And just when he wouldn't choose sides. Well, he really WOULDN'T, necessarily. It's solely about the apples, and no apples from either side equals to him going insane. It's not like he will really give in.
. . .
Aaaand he gave in. While he was too focused on the apple, Lady had just gone down. To make matters worse, he threw it across the room, and Ryuk chases after it like a dog being given a treat.
Gimme that-!
Lady Phantasme clutched her wound, in sheer disbelief at how the world had just fucking flipped on itself. There's not even an apple, you feathered moron.
This is the kind of fuckery that explains why we don't let junkies into the Curtain Works. Coke, meth, apples... however you slice it, you end up with pawned equipment and jobs half-assed.
But now - ugh, and this is one of her best dresses, too - it was Lady Phantasme who was being pawned. Slim wouldn't help. He hadn't sent signal flares, or a radio, because he figured that if her "boob was in the wringer" at this early stage, it would be a trap. If he were really dumb, he'd have bailed as soon as the shooting started... and he'd have gotten away with it, too. Zero chance that he'd be exchanged for Kira now.
Fuck. They're probably going to call me a war criminal. Even these idiots wouldn't flinch at executing a war criminal... but even if not. My scrap of paper. They'll take it, they won't care that I've only got a week to live... and they control the apples. Ryuk won't be there for me.
Her right sleeve hung heavy about her wrist...
There was only one thing she came for that she could still get. Not the way she wanted, no... no protracted screams, no Polaroid selfies, no "proof of concept" to rub in the face of the gutless NHN worms... but if it was the only way she could--
She emptied the dead cop's revolver into the hospital bed above her and grasped for Montag's right hand.
Though the world had suddenly bloomed so profusely in pain as to fill an undifferentiated garden, the hand on his wrist stood out as the prime fact. The thumb probing the swollen mass for his vein – to feel the pulse fade from him, the hand cool and stiffen –
--premature of her. He remained alert. Breathing. But all this blood, dampening the sheets... the house medics didn't have blood in store. These injuries... the site wasn't prepared, it had only what he had needed on arrival. He needed... he needed intensive care.
Men with no name and five bullet wounds did not receive intensive care.
The hand began to twist, and he couldn't quite prevent a scream before he bit down.
Three gunshots. A screech, a thud, the clink of handcuffs.
It seemed his wrist was free.
Montag! A mask above him, blue, festooned with flat pebbles. We're surrounded, they're on stakeout, I can't--
Near may have been reserving the manpower elsewhere, but backup had certainly been anticipated. They haven't any medics. Universal opinion at Fukuchi sickbay. (And obviously, there had been no need for Stone to handcuff a dead woman.) Lady Phantasme's life, then... He shook his head. Stone had to be here to hear him. Near's bug didn't suffice, not for this. Stone – Bigwiggins. Make sure, as soon as possible... give it to him, save him. Save him, if...
If he isn't past saving. Kira hadn't taken the eyes in a year with L, and that meant he never would in a week with Bigwiggins... but if Kira is there, then Rem is almost certainly there also, and if she's seen his face... if Kira can speak freely... stop it.
If you can. Make sure.
And tell Scintillation... my face wasn't likely to win any beauty contests.
Montag? Shut up. Stone dragged Lady Phantasme to her feet. I'll get the medics.
Right, right, last words, peachy-keen, but who's that spilling your life's blood? Can't spare a word for her? Jackass.
Not that she could fully distinguish what blood was his. This situation was spoiling the whole aesthetic of the thing. The pain, especially... no, especially Ryuk's behavior. This was an entity that should be above all us mortals, and the guy is just... a bottom-feeder. Simple as.
Then the jerk on her chain-- she snarled long and loud. Let it all out, just so long as you've still got claws.
Ugh. And the heartbreak of it was that Montag had just handed her a top-notch weapon and she couldn't even use it. Not unless and until she could trust Ryuk...
So, she was at their mercy. The only consolation... NHN is just about up to their nose in mercy.
Stone elected to strap her into a wheelchair and meet them at the front. As near a flag of truce as you could get, lacking a flag.
Big gentleman. Looked a little over-eager. But he'd made his bed.
We're summoning medics. She'll be treated, if you clear out.
Slim rolled his eyes.
Shit, dude... dumb. If you're gonna be that dumb maybe you do got Kira still breathing.
He pointed his gun coolly and certainly at the appalled face of Lady Phantasme.
Man, first rule of anything is you don't fuck with any Kira bullshit you can help.
In this moment, reason had no part in Stone's mind. All that was, was that which came automatically.
What he knew by nature was the smell of Montag's blood still in his throat, the smell of Sugano's in his memory.
What he knew by second nature was that an armed man was, at this instant, threatening the life of a disabled woman.
In this moment, it was second nature that broke through. Stone stepped slightly forward, just enough to be an obstacle without it looking deliberate.
We're not fucking around. We're throwing away the key. He had no more room in his head for over-optimistic rationalizations. She's -- she's killed Montag.
With that name, it fell back into place: We... want her alive to take down Kira.
Many things danced momentarily on the tip of her tongue.
Loser, you just shot me for Kira's minion. Commitment issues, much?
Hey, Slim. I'm going to die in a week and they won't do anything to stop it.
Ryuk, why don't you go look for apples in the dumpster from here on...
Ugh.
...there just wasn't a helpful audience right now.
---
Kira's biggest butt-buddy too, huh...
Slim lowered his gun. Just enough to say "chill" without losing the edge. But what's there left to do here? Just get involved in shit too big for him. Never mind NHN. This "pantywaist newsies picking a fight with god" crap. Way over anyone's head.
...Fuck it. Do what you want.
"Do what you want." Masque motto, before milady lost her bananas. Yeah why not get back to that.
He motioned the convoy away.
By the sound from the door, Stone was in a hurry, and not over-careful with Lady's wheelchair when it came to corners. She was being damned quiet. Unnerving; the woman never shut up. Hole in the jaw? He strained to look, but what he could see was a dim green, and black around the edges, and he couldn't swear it was the door.
Clear and stationed, Stone informed Near, panting. We'll need phlebotomy equipment, he's lost... a lot of blood. I'm A-positive, I don't know what type--
No idea. Montag thought he might be coming across as a bit drunk. The room was spinning and bobbing. He needed to hold himself together till they... ...Phantasme?
They'll see to you first, said Stone curtly.
No. The test, Montag reminded him, shivering. Why was the simple act of speaking such a labor? Your objections - obvious, I was there in the garage, too, but... doesn't matter about that. Only matters what'll work in future.
The mission... look, could you think a little past your newest attempt to get yourself killed for once? demanded Stone. You're damned handy. On a regular basis. I don't know if anyone's told you?
Yes, someone had. I needed you today, Bigwiggins had told him.
I needed Montag.
Given the subject that had been under discussion - and given that it was Bigwiggins - he had probably not been thinking of utility, per se. Montag, Matsui, Seiji Sako... simply bring your sweet self, stick around, and that's all he thinks he needs...
And it's the company of Sako that Bigwiggins has. Working on him, twisting him-- against Near (who needed others, in a way L never had, even if "apologies" and "thank you" were about the extent of his vocal expression of it; Near, too, needed Montag, not merely on immediate practical terms)--
--Bigwigs. Near. Tell them... very thoughtless of me. No long-term thinking...
No fixing it now. I've done all I can.
He sank.
Oh... oh, he was going down. Making an honest man out of this goon... I've killed him. I've killed him! So I don't get to revoke his mask privilege by cutting off his ears. Or take my mask back and paint it in his blood. Or... concentrate, through the pain. But those are extras. Check it, those lips are turning blue. This bastard is going down, and he is not coming back up.
Oh. Whistleblower said Near is Kira, by the way. And this scum was denying to my face that there was any such person.
She heard footseps behind her.
Oooh, must be triage. Save you time. He's black. I'm red. And I think the phrase here is you're welcome?
Nobu Orochi's her source on that whistleblower. 'Nuff said. I mean, if you still believe him... I'd say you deserved to have met, but... nah, they're saying you'd have died doing what you loved. At least... Check him.
We need unimpeded breathing... The lead medic paused on touching the edge of his mask. ...er. They're saying she hasn't got those eyes, right?
Stone patted his pocket, just to make sure that little laminate of scratch paper hadn't gone anywhere. ...Right.
They ripped away his mask.
Montag... he hadn't been kidding about his looks. With his wide-set eyes, those fleshy lips on that swarthy, narrow face, the wart on the cheek, he looked like a political caricature of a criminal. Like Kira's proper prey. Montag breathed now, a little more easily, but he wasn't conscious, and there was no sign of him. No hint of sentiment or sagacity to set him apart from any other dead crook.
Masks were a commendable choice, for ugly people of sterling worth. If you were willing to pay the price.
A second medic swore.
The bleeding at this knee... must've been a big bite out of the popliteal. If we were in a hospital right now...
...we'd all be dead. But everyone left that unspoken.
Without a word, they stepped back from Montag and gravitated toward Lady Phantasme. Hate this job sometimes.
So of course, the bozo who'd shot her was staying at the bedside. Unwritten social norm that someone's always got to stand around and watch 'em croak, except if that'd be any fun. So many social norms didn't offer consideration toward anyone.
Kept him from waffling back toward another attempt on her life, at least.
Wait a cottonpicking second... that guy pushing her to the next room had walked right through Ryuk.
Could any of them see Ryuk?
(...ugh, stripping off was tolerable in these extraordinary circumstanced, but she did not need to go through what it took to get onto that bed...)
...no, didn't seem so. She struggled into a position where she could look him square in the face.
"Those eyes"...?
A raspy snicker crept through the room.
Hyuk..
He wasn't like he normally was. Sure, he could be a bit inattentive at times, but his vibes were eerily different from how it typically was. Lady could sense it, feel it..
'The eyes. Bet they heard it from Rem.'
He thought.
The snickering got louder, Lady slowly looked his way. His yellow eyes flickered. He knew this was about to be the end. And, with that information, any cries of help from Lady would fall on deaf ears from now on. Hey, at least he isn't fully attached to anything, amirite?
He knew she was looking for answers through him, and he would gladly share it. Besides, it's not going to affect him personally, so he won't care who may be mad at him as this point, he won't take it personal.
Nobody's backing her up here. Not Slim. Not Ryuk. Not these doctors, except on strictly Hippocratic terms, and for that matter they weren't quite that strict, if they flocked to the clearly dying traitor first. (Unless Ryuk stole her kill...? No. No, she can trust her own calls.)
(And Ryuk has enough to answer for.) Kira hasn't got a database, she said listlessly. He just... looks at people's faces.
You're the death deity here. You knew that. You know how it's done, too.
Wild guess: you could have let me kill Kira all along. Couldn't you?
You know what, Ryuk... just get out of my sight. Permanently. Help yourself to the fucking apple subscription.
Ryuk's grin never disappeared, sometimes you could never tell if he was grinning purposely, but this time it felt on purpose.
Well, I am very forgetful, aren't I? You humans are very strange, my mindset will never change. But you do make good entertainment!
He perked up a bit more, he found her response to be a bit humorous.
Just to be clear; I'm not on your side. I'm not on Kira's either...
Before he could finish his sentence, there was an eerie moment where he looked directly into Lady's eyes. It all said nothing but the truth.
Besides, if I told you everything from the start, wouldn't that ruin the fun?
And for the first time since that train-wreck at the hotel, Lady Phantasme saw Ryuk as she had when they'd first met. Saw him plain as day, because it was simply what he was. An avatar of death. Chaos incarnate.
And she found she didn't like it at all. Death, chaos... those were forces that laughed with her. But Ryuk was laughing at her. Had been from the beginning.
Ryuk was -- he put Lady Phantasme on the same level as Kyosuke fucking Higuchi!
Only Higuchi had died in an Armani suit. And she was going to die in a crappy paper gown.
She was going to...
To...
...Fuck it. She was terminally ill to start with. And this was more of a bang than she was likely to get in NHN's padded-cell tea party a week and a half down the line.
Hey, idiots, she told the medical staff (who'd dropped examination like a hot rock the second she'd started in on Ryuk.) This worthless junkie of a death god says he's not on my side, or Kira's. Hold him the fuck to it. Because he has been taking his sweet-ass time before tossing Kira out like used tissue.
She laughed a little, madly. It was that or cry, and Ryuk wasn't getting that satisfaction.
At least I'm leaving behind a beautiful corpse. You'll see that my mask isn't compensating for anything...
Near. The patient's behaving as though... her shinigami is killing her.
Knowing too much, maybe. She's having a tizzy about the eyes.
Copy. Glad to hear.
What?? What in the hell do you mean, expect--
...Right. Shutting up.
It finally got to ya.
He stepped a little closer, looking down at Lady.
I thought I told you I wasn't on anyone's side. But I've figured by now that humans only hear what they want to hear.
A rasping chuckle slipped out of him.
You thought because I stuck around, because I laughed with you..
He tilted his head.
That made you different? You weren't the chosen one. Higuchi thought he was special too.
There was utter silence, and suddenly Ryuk snorted.
You know what? You were way more fun to watch.
He could only stare at the mess that was displayed in front of him. Even his 'compliments' wasn't reassuring.. even thought its not meant to be. He wasn't trying to be intimidating, but you know deep down all of his words were true. Every. Last. One of it.
As for Kira.
If he stops being interesting, I'll throw him away too.
And if you die here, don't blame me because you started thinking a death god was your friend.
Though she squeezed her eyelids shut, Lady Phantasme couldn't help a couple hot tears slipping out from between.
...you... I give you new duds, arcade money, primo spectacle, pure freedom, all the apples, a taste of not fucking Kira... kill him if he gets boring my ass, how can that twat get more boring...
...you give me Kira-brand AIDS with an all-time limited supply of AZT and then... you...
She shook her head. Well, maybe lolled it a little. No matter what she said, she hadn't suddenly contracted amnesia.
...you gave me the time of my life, Ryuk. Even if you never meant it. You let me set the world on fire, literally. You let me fly... She nodded, feeling suddenly overwhelmed with dizziness. Flying. That was the best part.
'f all that was boring, should've killed Higuchi in like half a week.
...
He stood there idly, there was not much he could really say as he saw the scene unfold while the others watch in awe of Lady talking 'to herself'. But, they all knew he was there. She was right about a few things, Ryuk cannot deny it.. he did give more than he could chew. He enabled some parts and he was a bit uneasy over that...
The uneasiness, however, was more so to do with the fact he let himself get too involved than he'd liked. Most of what she said goes one ear out the other, he could care less.
And I enjoyed all of that. I enjoyed what you had to offer! Hyuk.. but.. I'm not one to be into that sentimental crap.
These humans are always trying to become something bigger than they are, and they fail.. every single time. It's funny, isn't it?
He pauses at her last comment. You could tell that someway, somehow.. it slightly got to him. He knew that deep down she was somewhat true.
You... had a pretty good run. I can't lie. I wasn't as bored as I thought I would be. The most action I have had in forever..
He sighed,
I definitely will not forget you.
Her heart began to race. Her skin went cold. Should be more pain, Kira's victims always...
...racing means still beating. Ryuk's going for mercy... or... waitacottonpickingsecond is this just...
...that math doesn't math.
Blackness.
Lost consciousness. Consistent with injuries and shock. No sign of acute MI.
...yes, we're moving to stabilize her. Pity's sake. Bigwiggins has been through enough on her account, without--
But their efforts were of no avail.
