#bdb2n

A few months later, back in TOOL headquarters, one Lydinyk Nox was pacing around in front of a row of teenagers.

“In the past, our groups within TOOL have worked individually of each other, the unit you’ve been assigned was particularly affected by this. Of course, this was done in order to keep the secrecy of our groups in case our field agent got captured.”

Lydinyk paused and sighed, knowing it much better not to bring that topic up with this group.

“... However I’ve decided to change this policy. While Long will remain the strategist behind your cell, you will now be a three man group rather than two, and you’ll be operating closely with our communications team.”

He looked at the members. Two new, one old.

“From now on, you won’t be relying on deception to gain information. Instead, we’ll be making full use of your talents. You two will be our field operative, one focusing on stealth and the other will be your spotter. I think that fits your particular talents nicely~”

The two males stand at attention, affirming their new boss’s suggestion with a firm “Yes, sir.” It was obvious by their female companion’s more relaxed demeanor that they were the newbies.

“Also in the past, I had you act independently. While you’ll still have times in which I will ask you to do that, right now though, I have a specific task in mind for you for your first job as a group.”

He pauses, taking his place behind his desk and picking up a manilla folder.

“Rumors have begun spreading about suspicious activity in the Hida Mountains area. I know that it’s a large area, and i don’t expect you to tackle this job quickly, but we need information. I’ve secured a living space for you in a nearby city. It’s a tourist town, so you should fit right in. Use this time to get to know each other and learn to work together. I’ve pulled out all the stops for you three. As you gather info, report it to comms. No need to wait for the full story, I’ll update your tasks as you go, is that understood?”

A sudden response.

“Yes Sir!”

Lydinyk smiled, handing the file over to the female.

Meanwhile….

A small teenager clad in a black robe slowly opened his eyes. Over the course of the past day, he had observed a turmoil of emotions - a group of students around his own age discovering the masterminds in their midst, said masterminds being executed, the dead students in the forms of data being given another chance, and them all returning back to their homes. And, with that all was peaceful.

But not quite, as he was still stranded back in Japan with a mirror he enchanted as his only companion. So, the adolescent had once more called on his powers, and here he was in a bizarre dark realm filled with several teal portals with glowing light swirling in and out of them, interdimensional wormholes.

As many times as I do it, I’ll never get used to it… It’s gorgeous though, I’ll say it’s something I appreciate.

Hair swirling about his face, he moved towards one of them, before abruptly blinking. A flash had drawn his focus to another one of the wormholes, and he changed direction to examine its source.

Mmmh? Wh~?

Once he drew close, he blinked and tilted his head to the side, before speaking, voice loud and clear even to the other.

“Hello there! Ah.... you’re a long way from where you originated, I wager.”

He cut himself off before long, noticing the sorry state the other was in. Shaking his head from side to side, he offered another remark.

“Ah, I’ll… I’ll get you home. Please relax as best as you can.”

I can do this. They struggled enough…

Reaching a hand out, he brushed his fingers against the other’s right shoulder, before guiding them back down to the wormhole he was about to pass through.

“And we’ll be back to safety soon. But, ah… sorry, may I ask what your name is?

The stranger could do nothing but stare in disbelief as the other spoke. Eventually straining a smile. A lot had gone through his mind in that moment, but finally, he responded.

“I don’t have a name or a home to return to, but if you want to save me, then so be it.”

And the robe-clad person and the nameless stranger entered. They, too, would return home.

After what feels like days but is likely only hours, you arrive back at what’s hopefully a safe location. Though anything’s likely safer than the hellish situation you were previously in. Stepping into TOOL headquarters, several of the people you’re with simply leave you be, telling you that you’re able to explore around. It feels like an office building with sprawling hallways, but no matter where you look, you can't find any windows. You can't tell if you're underground or 20 stories up, perhaps that helps lend itself to TOOL'S secrecy, but strangely enough, it doesn't feel too much like confinement. Some people in suits scurry around, paying you no mind, allowing you to mostly roam the facility.

Quickly, you're given temporary rooms within the facility with any luxury you could imagine. The strangest thing, however, are the other groups of people who appear to be teenagers as well running around like they own the place. Any explanation about them is that they're similarly talented students, personally scouted by the boss- but to you they just seem like groups of misfits and delinquents. Nobody seems to be able to explain Lyd's criteria except that it works.

Over the next week, multiple officials come to pull you out for questioning. What happened back in the other dimension, what your experiences were, etcetera. It is all a bit of a blur. Nevertheless, you are well-tended to, and between the interrogating you aren’t short of activities to do including talking with the others in the company.

However, after about a week or so, you’re summoned to a meeting room of some sort. Lydinyk informs you all that you’re free, and that TOOL workers will be with you shortly to escort you to wherever you wish. Finally, the hell of mutual killing is over, it seems.

Meanwhile, the deceased had indeed been brought back to life, as Hanzo promised. To you, wishes for your memories had been obeyed, and they had either been kept or had the time in Ryuuko-jou and Niji erased from your mind before you, too, were set free to return where you wished.

Indeed, you were finally free after all the hell you endured. Free, to go wherever you pleased without fearing for your life. Despite the unease you heard talk of occurring in Japan, you also heard people were working to restore harmony once more.

And just like that, it was over. The masterminds had given their ultimatum, the students from both sides had responded, and they both had been dragged away and executed. Silence ensued in the courtroom afterwards, not even the newcomers speaking for a good minute or so afterwards. Finally, a voice comes from one side of the courtroom, and you turn to look.

“Now then, arms please.”

Lyd spoke to Fuu after walking over to her, holding out a pair of handcuffs. The elevator was still on ground level, so even if she wanted to escape, she’d have to wait around. Surrendering she turned around and placed her arms behind her, no longer saying a word, but the expression on her face had changed at some point, from one of disbelief to one of anger and dissatisfaction.

“I’m going to go survey damages, if someone could please assist Onowai-kun over there, I think you’ll find he has no reason to harm you without a payor. I’m going to lock this one up and then survey the damages. I can trust someone else will make the portal preparations, no?”

Just like that, the interdimensional traveller and the one affiliated with the group responsible had left the room, once more leaving it in silence. An awkward shuffling from over to the side alerted you to the fact that Midoritarou had gone over to Oyesu and was attempting to tend to his injuries, pulling out a medical box. He bandaged the other’s injuries while muttering to himself, face tinting a bright red and sweat pooling down his cheeks to the wooden floor.

“Please….. S s stay calm… Things will be ok k k kay as long as you stay safe.”

Midoritarou’s attitude was surprisingly very confident by his standards, and the groundskeeper had moved on to his attempts to stitch up the other’s clothing and was trying to inspect Oyesu’s legs.

“I thank you for your assistance, friend but,” Oyesu grunts in pain, reacting to the disinfectant. “... I have had worse.”

Upon removing Oyesu’s other boot, Midoritarou would likely be shocked to see that inside was a wooden peg, protruding from the end of his leg where his foot should have been. Well. That explained the limp and the cane… sword.

Midoritarou only glances briefly at his other leg, rolling down the pant leg and shaking his head from side to side. He was shocked for sure, but to the groundskeeper that wasn’t something that required his attention as of now. After all, you couldn’t bleed from a wooden leg, could you? Nevertheless, he stood up and bowed deeply at Oyesu before responding.

“S s sir, you should be good to go. Please d d don’t strain yourself, alright? Here, yeah…”

“And there you have it! We all have a way home, and you can’t leave here without accompanying us. It’s almost like you’ll be under arrest! … Oh wait.”

“Tch. Like it matters. Even if I end up in Prison, the power of connections goes a long way.”

“What connections?”

Lydinyk’s expression was stern, as though there was something that Fuu Takaguchi, and everyone else in the room didn’t realize. The silence that followed his implication lasted only a couple of seconds, but it felt like minutes had passed. He knew something that nobody else did.

“Hanzo did not activate the EMP Bomb on this side of the portal- He activated it from within the dimensional space between the two portals. And you saw the effects of what happened on this end, right? The Takaguchi Corporation’s power grid was all connected to the energy you were siphoning from here, and with that cut off, it sure would be a shame if my police force were to have been stationed outside your building and infiltrated while the power was down.”

The man chuckled.

“Hmm… I’d say right about now my men would be placing your father under arrest. Sorry to break this to you, but you have no connections. The Takaguchi Corporation did, but not anymore.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Fuu Takaguchi chimed in from her position against the wall.

“Oh, and what might that be?”

“Your ‘Spy’ just destroyed our portal, and you just sent off that kid with your means of getting out of here, and our resident dimensional slider is apparently dead! There is no way back home!”

“You. Really didn’t do your research on this place, did you? Seriously. This is why we at TOOL don’t act without a full grasp on the situation. Kumi wasn’t the only one capable of using dimensional magic. According to my information ‘That Cat should also be capable of using dimensional magic.’ I assume that ‘That Cat’ refers to you. Miss… I don’t believe I caught your name?”

Lydinyk rotated himself, turning to face Maru. In response, the cat-woman flicked her ear at the new arrival, appearing completely nonplussed by this turn of events. She responded cooly and calmly, glancing away as she did.

“Yes, I know how to operate the dimensional portal. Kai also knows how to operate it, but, well…”

As opposed to the teary expression the exorcist wore before, at this point she simply stared at what was happening and the strangers who had gotten inside the courtroom with red, puffy eyes. At Maru’s comment, though, she abruptly stood up and responded sharply.

“Well. That was certainly… something.”

“Something” was one word for it. It’s not every day you watch a kid get dragged literally into hell from the same room as you.

“Is this the hell you’ve all been going through these past months? I knew it was bad but this is something else entirely.”

The blonde haired man rubs his temples, contemplating things.

It was almost time. Hanzo had been sitting in the portal room, watching the timer. He didn’t know what was going on in the courtroom now. What kind of uproar he had… or hadn’t caused with the class. And for what it mattered, he didn’t care. All that mattered now was the timer on the bomb in front of him. The countdown to the end of all of this, and if everything went according to plan… It would be his end too. For real this time. No dopplegangers. No convenient distractions. Just him, his earpiece, and his bomb.

He had seen better days. Those Takaguchi soldiers sure had done a number on him… His body had seen better days, and not just from the bullet wound in his shoulder. His clothing had been torn in the scuffle getting the bomb from point A to point B, leaving cuts and bruises all over. But this was nothing.

“... Hey, do me a favor, would ya?”

Hanzo spoke into the earpiece as the timer ticked into the last minute. His fake accent remaining in his voice.

“If you ever meet my brother, tell him I’m gone. Not sayin’ yous have to look for him but… The kid deserves t’ know the truth.”

Presumably he was speaking to the same woman you heard on the PA before.

“Thanks.”

The countdown began beeping audibly as it slowly got lower and lower.

“Well then, looks like it’s time for me t’ go…”

Standing up, he positioned himself behind the bomb and began pushing it towards the portal. Just before entering, he smiled, reaching up to his earpiece he spoke one last time.

“See you on the other side.”

Before pulling it off of his ear, dropping it to the ground, and entering the dimensional subspace between portals.

At first you couldn’t hear it, but you could see the energy of the portal beginning to glow, then the sparks began flying and finally a loud explosion. The portal short circuited first, and very soon after, the camera view went static, it's white noise filling the trial room until you felt it there too and the screen went black.

As for the Spy? This was his hell now.

Hanzo Onowai, Super High School Level Agent Spy and mastermind, has been executed