Author's Note:

And here it is: the final chapter of this story. Thank you all for your patience in letting me get it together long enough to finish this one out. What started out as a crazy, probably late-night or alcohol-fueled idea turned into a 100,000 word saga. I hope you enjoy the final installment of Persona 6: Mind Net. And I hope you're as excited about Persona 5 coming out next year as I am. Thank you again; now enjoy!

Chapter Nineteen: Departure

The sun shone brightly in Inaba on the morning of the BAU's departure. Though still bruised and fatigued from the battle inside the internet, almost everyone was in high spirits as they spent a relaxing morning at the Amagi Inn. Hotch had received a call from Strauss in the early hours, but he'd managed to hold off most of her questions for when they got back. With Rossi reporting the UnSub in custody and in surgery, some of the heat was taken of the members based in Japan, and Hotch knew he'd owe his colleague several bottles of wine to make up for all the abuse his boss was certainly putting him through.

"What time are you all leaving?" asked Naoto, while several waitresses removed their empty breakfast plates.

"I've got to take the first train to get back to Narita," said Fionn. "Irene called me earlier and said the company was planning to ferry in extra aircraft from Seoul and Nanjing so we can get some of our stranded passengers out of here; they might need multiple crews."

"The aviation industry must be a hot mess right now," said Garcia. "And are you okay to fly after you got knocked around yesterday?"

"I'll be fine," said Fionn, grinning. "I'll just ask for first rest; I'm sure someone will trade with me."

"I'll escort him," said Mitsuru, standing up. "I need to return to the Kirijo group and inform them of the developments with the internet world, as well as start figuring out what to do about those escaped Shadows."

"Very well. Thank you both for your assistance in this matter," said Hotch. "You've done us a great service; we will find some way to repay you."

"Thank you! I hope I'm working your flight back," said Fionn. "Garcia, we should play games again if the Wi-Fi works."
"Agreed… but I think I'm all Divinity-ed out for a little while," said Garcia. "I suggest Words With Friends instead."

"Agreed," said Fionn, smirking. "Best wishes to you all."

Fionn and Mitsuru left shortly thereafter, along with most of the other SEES members. Akihiko left after breakfast to get a morning run in, leaving the BAU members to chat freely with the English-speaking Inaba residents. Hotch checked his watch and reminded them all that they were free to spend the rest of the morning and afternoon as they saw fit, but they had to take the 3:00 train back to Tokyo in time to catch the last flight back to the USA.

"I've been meaning to ask… would it not save you a lot of time and effort to take the computer world back to the United States?" asked Yukiko. "Since Miss Garcia can manipulate the world at will?"

"I thought about that, but I think I'd rather have the chance to detox. Also, the agency will be footing the bill, as Strauss agreed to before we departed," said Hotch, his lips twitching into a slight smile. "We may as well get our money's worth."

"No arguments here," said Prentiss. "Thanks for watching out for us, Hotch."

Before leaving the Amagi Inn, Hotch asked Garcia and Naoto to meet him down on the Samegawa Flood Plain around 1 PM. Garcia, who being taken on a small tour of the town by the girls and Teddie, gave him an understanding nod and smile before she grabbed Morgan by the arm and practically dragged him out of the building. Reid, meanwhile, accepted Naoto's offer to show him some of the local historic landmarks, and both Prentiss and J.J. headed for the hot springs for a relaxing soak.

"What are you going to do, Agent Hotchner?" asked Yu Narukami.

"I don't have any plans at the moment," said Hotch. "I called to check on my son earlier, so I was going to kill time until we depart. I do have one more important thing to attend to, though. Could you have your uncle meet me on the Flood Plain in a few hours?"

"Absolutely. Can I ask what for?" asked Yu.

"Police business. Classified," said Hotch. "I'll have Naoto translate."

"I understand. I'll tell him to meet you," said Yu, following Yosuke, Kanji, and the mini-tour-group out the front doors.

Hotch returned to his room, packing his bags and checking that all of his weapons and such were in properly sealed. Like everyone else, he'd brought his weapon from the internet world, hoping he could have it studied and learn more about the world from where they'd come from. His phone buzzed again, and Rossi's name and picture flashed across the front.

"Hi Dave. What's the update over there?" he asked.

"Well, we've got some good news and some bad news," said Rossi. "The good news is: the storms have finally broken up, and things are starting to get back to normal, of sorts. The bad news is that our UnSub has taken a turn for the worse in the operation, or so the doctor told me. He's not expected to survive, and even if he does, he'll likely suffer a lot of brain damage."

Hotch sighed. "Well, that's something we expected from the get-go. How long has he been in surgery at this point?"

"Well over 12 hours. They can't give me many details, but we obviously did a number on him. That, or the Shadows," said Rossi.

"If everything goes on time, we should be arriving back late tomorrow night… I guess we'll see you first thing in the morning after that," said Hotch.

"I look forward to seeing how we explain this way out of this one," said Rossi. Hotch could practically hear him grinning through the phone.

"As do I. Get some rest, Dave. We'll be back before you know it," he said.

"Same to you, Aaron," replied the man, hanging up.

After a quick power nap, Hotch followed the roadway down to the Flood Plain, to where a small gazebo waited. As he watched the sun rise through the sky, Hotch began to write his report, figuring that there was no better time than the present. Every sentence seemed to be something out of a fantasy action movie, or some sort of mystic crime thriller. Although he enjoyed poking fun at Strauss' reaction, Hotch was ruefully aware at how many skeptics they'd have to prove everything to. Thankfully, the computer world was only a click away…

"Agent Hotchner? We're here," came Naoto's voice.

He looked up and saw Garcia and Naoto standing before him. Just behind, he could see Yu and Officer Dojima headed for the gazebo. Hotch folded his own papers up and slid them back into his bag. He nodded at Garcia and Naoto, and the two walked across the grass to meet the other two men. Dojima looked politely confused, looking between his nephew and the others before him.

"Detective Dojima… I have something for you," said Hotch. "Garcia, if you would, please?"

"Here you are, sir… this file is very important," said Garcia, handing him a thick envelope of papers.

She handed the folder to Dojima, whose confusion only grew. Naoto translated into Japanese for the man as he slowly undid the seal and began to pull out the things within it. His confusion turned to wide-eyed distress as he first saw the crime scene photos of where his wife had been run down in Inaba so many years ago.

"When I heard about the tragic loss of your wife… well, as someone who knows what going through that is like, I wanted to do what I could to help," said Hotch. "I know the report is in English, but…"

As Naoto translated, Dojima began to tear through the other contents in the envelope, his eyes flying over the pages of documents from the BAU members. He spoke quickly and rapidly to his nephew and Naoto, working himself into a panic. Hotch glanced at Garcia, who returned a look of concern on his face.

"I… um, well, based on the description you gave me, I was able to get in contact with some contacts of mine," said Garcia. "I traced the numbers of every vehicle matching the description that was given, and it gave me a couple of leads. I narrowed them down, and… I found the man who killed your wife."

When Naoto explained that bit, Dojima went into absolute shock. His face grew ashen, and he dropped half the pictures and files he was holding. His mouth hung open, and there were tears in his eyes. His legs almost gave out, as his nephew hurriedly supported him. In a croaking, low voice, he looked at Naoto and Yu, and asked them something in Japanese.

"He… wants to know if you know where he is," said Naoto.

"Yes," said Hotch, bowing his head. "He is currently in California. Under normal circumstances, we would have issues extraditing him. However…"

"… I took the liberty of making a few changes to his record, and to the records of certain law enforcement officers," said Garcia. "If everything goes well, and I don't get caught, which hasn't happened yet for what it's worth, I think we can arrange to have him brought back here to stand trial."

"And even if that doesn't work… we can arrange something," said Hotch.

Dojima's face crumpled as Naoto told him what the two BAU agents had said. He buried his face in his hands, shaking his head. Yu knelt next to him, whispering to the man. A sad smile lingered on Yu's face as he patted his uncle on the shoulder. Hotch and Garcia took a few steps back, to give Dojima time to compose himself. He could see that Garcia also had tears in her eyes, and she wiped them on the edge of her robe as they waited. Finally, Dojima stood up, strode forward, and almost crushed them both in a massive hug.

"Th… thank you…" he muttered in heavily accented English. "Thank you… so… much…"

"You're welcome," said Hotch, patting him on the back. "We owe you thanks for your assistance in this case, too. I only hope this brings closure to you, Nanako, and the rest of your family."

Dojima released Hotch and Garcia, stepping backward and smiling brightly at the two. He wiped his eyes and bowed. A smile began to stretch across his face, despite the tears, and he continued to thank them, his voice cracking. Yu, too, thanked them, shaking hands with Hotch and hugging Garcia tightly. Naoto had to wipe her eyes a time or two, though she acted as if she were adjusting her hat whenever Hotch noticed her doing it.

"I… assume you will be leaving us, shortly, then?" asked Naoto.

"Yes. We need to be at the station in about an hour. I will keep you updated on the progress of the UnSub in the Dojima case," said Hotch. "Garcia, let's meet up with the others and be on our way."

"Yes, sir!" exclaimed Garcia, leading the way back to the Inn.

On the platform of the Yasoinaba station, the BAU members made their final goodbyes to the members of the Inaba Investigation Team. Nanako Dojima had shown up with her uncle and brother, and was sure to give Garcia an extra-long hug, thanking her in broken English for helping her daddy with his case. At this point, Garcia became overly emotional and stepped onto the train, while the rest of the members took care of final handshakes and hugs.

"If something were to change, or more incidents like this occur, make sure to contact us," said Yu.

"Yeah! Hopefully we won't have to worry about it, but if we do… better use all our powers together, right?" exclaimed Rise.

"Absolutely. I'll most certainly be in contact, once I've done enough research on what you've told me about Izanami. I have a lot of unanswered questions," said Reid, already balancing six books under his arms for the ride home.

"This goes for you, as well," said J.J. "If you all hear of anything out of the ordinary, contact us. We'll be keeping an eye on this in the future."

"We might need your help dealing with any escaped Shadows," said Akihiko. "So you might get a free trip to the US out of this, if nothing else."

"I've always wanted to go overseas!" exclaimed Yukiko. "Oh… but I guess that would mean that Shadows were attacking you there, so… maybe that's not such a good reason…"

The train's whistle sounded, and the BAU members stepped aboard. They waved their final goodbyes to the Inaba residents, and soon they were travelling over the countryside, through the mountains, and entering the city just as nightfall came. Once they made their way through the city streets, they entered Narita airport. It was an absolute zoo, with hundreds of stranded passengers clamoring for some of the limited seats back to the USA.

"Are you sure our seats are confirmed? Seems like there's way more people than seats," said Morgan.

"Yeah, there's got to be at least a 4:1 ratio here, even if they upped the gauge and frequency of flights for these two days," said Reid. "I hope they didn't give ours away."

"Excuse me," said Prentiss, walking up to the First Class check-in area. "Hi, we're just checking in for Flight 3892 to Seattle?"

"Oh… I am so sorry," said one of the ladies behind the ticket counter. "That flight is currently checked-in full and all seats are taken…"

"Dang. Anyone have Fionn's number? He might be able to hook us up with something, right?" asked Morgan.

"Wait, I'm sorry, did you say Fionn? As in, Fionn Calder?" asked another ticket lady.

"Yes, why?" asked Hotch.

"He spoke with us when he arrived for his flight back to Pittsburgh this evening. He has arranged you space-positive travel on our subsidiary carrier MetropoShuttle… Hotchner, Morgan, Prentiss, Reid, Garcia, Rossi, and Sanada, is that correct?"

"Rossi is not travelling with us, but the rest are correct," said Hotch. "What's our new itinerary?"

"You'll depart at 9:30 PM tonight on MetropoShuttle Flight 8503. It's an extra-sector flight being run to collect stranded passengers," explained the woman. "You'll arrive in New York City at 8:45 PM tomorrow… and your connecting flight to Washington National leaves at 10:30 PM."

"Wow. He hooked us up!" exclaimed Garcia. "MetropoShuttle is like… their elite side!"

"That's much better than having to do two long flights. Make sure you tell him we said thanks, Garcia," said J.J.

The flight was full to capacity, and the BAU members were separated, so Hotch spent most of his flight working on his official and expense reports for Strauss, or sleeping. At long last, their flight touched down in New York City, and soon they were on another full plane to Washington. Hotch finally reached his home at 2 in the morning, collapsing into another fitful night of sleep before waking up to the sounds of his phone ringing.

"Glad to see you've finally come back to us, Aaron," came Strauss' smooth voice over the phone. "I will expect full reports on my desk by 1:00 this afternoon. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," said Hotch. "Any word on our UnSub?"

"He's in critical condition in Mississippi. They've got him on life support while they wait to see if he responds to anything," explained Strauss. "It's not looking good for him."

"And has Dave returned?" asked Hotch.

"He's been back since yesterday. Which, if I remember correctly, was your deadline as well. I expect you and your team to be in to work today. That is all," she said, hanging the phone up.

Walking into the doors of the BAU was a surreal feeling, especially after witnessing Garcia's Hell in the computer world. At times, Hotch felt on edge, as if waiting for something to leap out at him. The warmth from Jupiter's presence still radiated in his chest, but Hotch knew he couldn't summon it, not in the real world. As he crossed the cubicle pit, he was pleasantly surprised to see his entire team waiting for him outside his office, including Akihiko.

"Glad you could make it. She's going to want to see us soon, though," said Morgan.

"Don't worry. I've got enough here to keep her busy long enough for us to debrief. Akihiko, if you wouldn't mind, could you run these to her office?" asked Hotch, handing the files to their newest recruit.

Akihiko's face fell. "Uh… sure, whatever you say."

"You were a boxer, right? Remember: dodge and weave," said Prentiss, patting him on the back.

"And when we say 'run' them to her office, we don't mean that literally," said J.J., smirking at him as she walked towards the conference room.

Akihiko groaned, but nodded and accepted his face. Hotch watched as their newest recruit left the BAU area to go find Strauss' office. Meanwhile, Hotch followed his team into the room, but before they could sit down, the phone buzzed to life and Garcia's voice rang across it.

"Um… guys… I need you to come downstairs ASAP," said Garcia.

"What's wrong?" asked Hotch, immediately picking up on her scared tone.

"It's… well, nothing yet but… I kinda need you to see this," said Garcia. "I can't explain it otherwise. I'm down on Range 4. Just please hurry, thanks!"

The BAU members strode quickly from the office, riding the elevator down to the floors with the gun range. The tension in the small elevator was running high, and Hotch's weary mind wondered what they could possibly have to face now. They followed the hallway to the correct room, sliding up the door. Garcia was in the middle of the firing lane. She was holding a gun to her head.

"Garcia! What are you doing?" cried Reid, as the group rushed forward.

"It's not what you think," she said. "Watch."

Before they could say anything, she pulled the trigger. A shot rang out around the room, and the shattered, blue pieces of her psyche erupted out of her mind, spiraling above her. Second later, Nike appeared, her wire-like hair flowing around her head and her palm raised forward, the monitors along her wings blinking to life. The BAU members gasped almost in unison, and Hotch felt the power in his chest grow warmer.

"You can… you can summon in the real world, too?" asked J.J.

"It… it appears so. And… what's more… I can sense Shadows in here," said Garcia. "It's really faint, and they're separated… but they are there, and I worry they may grow. I'll monitor them."

"Yeah, but having your Persona out here is insane! What happens if someone sees you?" exclaimed Prentiss. "What about the cameras?"

"I have them disabled, of course. The only other person who knows is Kevin. I kind of accidentally did it in my office earlier while he was there," said Garcia. "It's a really long story… Akihiko left his Evoker… and anyway, he's okay with it now. I've got him keeping watch."

"Do you think we can summon our Personas as well, then?" asked Rossi.

Hotch nodded. "I think so. I can feel Jupiter within me… so… maybe…"

"So it's not over, then. We can't leave those Shadows unchecked," said Morgan.

"I agree. Looks like we'll have to call our friends in Inaba sooner than we thought…" muttered Prentiss.

"Can you sense any others in the immediate vicinity, Garcia? Or even further?" asked Reid.

"Not at this time, but the Shadows definitely have the same sort of sense I felt back in the computer world. I was talking to Kevin about it, and we both kind of think that it might have something to do with the real locations the Hells are based off of. On that note, I have him running scans of all the areas we went through in those Hells, hoping to find some matches," said Garcia.

"If you're right, we're going to have to go around and exterminate those Shadows," said J.J. "Letting them go unchecked could put us all at risk."

"It'll be a while until the storm clean-up is finished, but hopefully we'll be able to use that as a cover for travelling around the country," said Rossi. "I guess we'll be heading back to Mississippi soon, then?"

"Yeah… I can't wait to have to explain that one to the Chief," said Morgan, chuckling.

The door clanged open, and Akihiko sprinted in, winded and gasping for air. He fell to his knees, trying to get a message out to the other BAU members. When he finally looked up and saw Garcia and Nike, he stopped, his mouth hanging to the floor. Morgan and J.J. helped him stand, letting him catch his breath as he walked into the shooting range where Garcia and Nike stood.

"That… that's impossible… we're not in the Dark Hour. How did you…?" asked Akihiko.

"I accidentally shot myself with your evoker and it worked and I think I broke a few computers in my office, but… other than that, I'm not sure," said Garcia. "But I figured you should know that I sense weak pockets of Shadows in the building. I don't even know if they have a material form at the moment."

"This is… I have to call Mitsuru. Can I try?" asked Akihiko.

"Yes, but what did you want to tell us?" asked Hotch.

"… Oh! It's… it's Section Chief Strauss! She's on her way down here; she was reading through your paperwork and… now she's furious," said Akihiko.

"What?!" cried the other BAU members.

"There's no reason to lie to her. She'll find out eventually," said Hotch. "Don't worry; I'll handle it."

Somewhere in the distance, a door slammed. The sound of the loudest, angriest clicking heels reached their ears. With a terrified squeak, Garcia dismissed Nike, and the Persona faded out just before the door to the firing range slammed open. Strauss stomped across the floor, her eyes locked on Hotch, and her brows furrowed in total fury.

"Good morning, Erin, how are you—," Rossi said, stepping forward to intercept her.

"Not now, Dave," spat Strauss, pushing past him.

She walked right up to Hotch, and for a brief moment, he thought she was going to hit him. After taking a few deep, angry breaths to steady herself, she held up the folder in which all of his reports were in. Hotch stared back at them, keeping his face blank and calm. Silence followed as the folder of reports shook in Strauss's hand inches from his face.

"Is there a problem, Section Chief Strauss?" he asked.

"You are damn right there's a problem!" snarled Strauss. "I've just seen these reports and I… I am beside myself with rage! After everything I've done for this team, all the rules I just bent… you repay me with this!? Do you think I'm a fool!?"

"I don't think you're a fool, ma'am. I am being honest with you in all of my reports, as will my team in theirs. We have witnesses we can contact," said Hotch.

"You must be out of your mind!" roared Strauss, her hair falling out of the clip holding it on top of her head. "I don't know what has gotten into you lately, Aaron, but there is nothing on this planet that would ever convince me that everything in these reports is anything but a work of pure fiction! Now, you re-do these reports with a believable answer, or I will have your badge! Is that understood?!"

"I… I know it's hard to believe, ma'am, but he is telling the truth in those reports," said Prentiss. "If you just give us some time to explain—!"

"You have had an entire week to get an explanation!" thundered Strauss. "Now we have dozens of dead, an UnSub who is practically useless to us, and no explanation as to why we sent a team to Japan! There are no fewer than ten departments breathing down my neck about all of this, and you're going to sit there and tell me this… this fairy-tale about fighting spirits within you and a world through your computer?!"

"What if… I could prove to you that I was telling the truth?" asked Hotch, glancing down at the Evoker in his hand.

"What is that? What are you doing?" she asked, taking a step back from him. "Aaron, whose gun is that?"

Hotch ignored her rambling, looking past his boss to where his team stood. J.J. and Prentiss were smirking, biting their lips and looking at their feet. Reid gave him a shrug, cocking his head to the side, telling him that the decision was his own. Garcia's eyes were bulging with a mixture of excitement and terror. Rossi gave him a half-smile and nod. Morgan, and Akihiko didn't even try to hide their grins, both looking excited as what was going to happen next. Hotch held the Evoker up, so that Strauss could clearly see what exactly it was.

"This, Strauss, is the power of Persona," said Hotch.

He placed the gun to his head, smiled at Strauss' terrified gasp, and pulled the trigger.

The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand, the largest experiment in anarchy we have ever had. – Eric Schmidt, Google CEO

9/18/2014 12:21 AM