"Damn...if we can't fight, what are we gonna do..?" said Walski in frustration as he backed up farther, swinging his bokken at the demons to keep them back.

Lori was there before anyone else could speak. Eyes still closed, she concentrated, her Persona powering up, surrounding her in blue light, extending her hands forward, as the image of Kasumi did above her. She spoke and a shield of light appeared, blocking the creatures' advance. The demons howled and relentlessly punded on the shield, trying to penetrate it.

"Lori, hold on! Keep them busy while we attack from the inside!" said Laura as she began to flare up her own power, the voice of Ranma silently telling her what to do. However, the shield seemed to waver, as the demons angrily attacked it with their acidic claws and teeth.Lori, her eyes still closed, grimaced with every blow. Before anyone could get any offense going, the shield seemed to blink in and out, barely maintained. The three demons howled again, this time in glee, as they raked against the shield mercilessly. For one second, Lori looked as if she were about to collapse under the pressure of the demons. Then, an expression of anger appeared on her face. Her eyes snapped open, and they glowed an unearthly red whcih mingled strangely with the blue column of light surrounding her. The image of Kasumi had been altered, and now a horned Kasumi, still smiling as sweetly as ever before, raised her hands to attack. Lori's eyes narrowed as she shouted...

"Leave us _alone_!!!" she screamed. The shield suddenly pushed outward forcefully, slamming all three demons against the wall. Still yelling, Lori rushed forward, slicing with her bare hands. Two of the three demons screamed a death cry as they were split in half by the force of Lori's blows. A metallic sound could be heard as she disemboweled the demons, and her fingernails had become long and sharp, made seemingly of steel or something stronger. The third backed away for a second, then lunged. Lori, avoided the gambling swipe, and lashed out with her other hand, the demon screaming as it was impaled against the wall of the elevator. squirming until it stopped, melting like its companions into an acidic mass that stuck to the side of the elevator.

The group had watched transfixed and in awe as Lori had ruthlessly eliminated the demons. Lori, breathing hard, had let her Persona drop, kneeling on the ground, trying to catch her breath her head bowed to the ground and shaking her head from side to side as if trying to dispell something. Laura walked over in concern as the others looked on in disbelief. "Hey, are you-"

"I'm fine," Lori snapped, a little louder than normal. Laura flinched, and Lori's voice softened to its normal level. "I'm sorry. I'm..I'm just ok, all right? Take my word for it. I just need some time to think. Besides, we need to get up to Guido's office." She got up without any help, aware of the others' eyes on her as she leaned against the wall, losing herself in thought.

The elevator lurched suddenly and began moving up again, drawing the group's attention away from Lori. "Looks like we're moving again," said Bradster, trying to see which floor they were on.

"It's only five more floors to the top," said Renee. We should be ready so we don't get...surprised by any more demons.." Concentrating for a second, a smaller mallet appeared in her hands.

Laura drew her attention partly away from the silent Lori and onto the elevator numbers again, wondering at the power they had been given and whether they could use it effectively...or...uncontrollably...when the time came, anyway.

*****

"What the hell are you doing?!" yelled Guido as he stood behind his desk, addressing Sineriitrii harshly. "I have reports of my workers getting killed, running around, panicking about _your_ minions who are supposed to be helping us! I told you explicitly not to do anything of the sort! What's wrong with you?" Guido had given enough ground, and now he dug in his heels, determined this time not to give anything up to the black-robed man before him.

Sineriitrii reacted calmly, as if talking to a child. ^It is for...the greater purpose..^

"Greater purpose? What greater purpose?! The only purpose you should be having, is _mine_. You understand? If you think for one second you can superceded me you have another thing coming. Are we clear?" The rage was evident in his last comment although his voice was lowered.

Sineriitrii's eyes narrowed. ^The puppet is trying to break free of his strings..^ he thought. ^Time to tie them back on.^ His eyes began to glow red, boring once again into Guido's mind...

*****

The group exited the elevator, expecting to reach, at the top floor, some semblance of calmness above the storm that raged below. It was not to be. The same screams they had heard going up the elevator echoed through the halls of the 60th floor, and they were on their guard as they crept down the hallway toward Guido's office. Renee looked especially worried as she passed by the various offices, which were stained with blood, with some doors off their hinges.

The sound of running feet could be heard suddenly, and a man suddenly bumped into Renee, nearly bowling her over. The man was in his 40's, slightly disheveled, a white lab coat long since dirtied flapping behind him. Renee, about to yell at the man to tell him to watch where he was going and be careful, suddenly gave a cry of joy and hugged the man, who smiled as he realized who he was holding and hugged her back.

It was Renee's father.

"I'm so glad you're all right..!" said Renee, hugging her father tighter. "I was worried.."

"I'm glad you're ok, too...I had taken you for all but dead, with all that's been going on out there," the man said as he laughed. "I had thought you would not be able to get here at all..."

"I had help, dad. These people, my friends, helped me to get here safely." Renee nodded toward the group of students, who was finding some kind of solace and happiness in the chaos that was raging around them.

"I see...thank you very much. You have my eternal gratitude." said the man as he looked at everyone witha grateful look on his face.

"It's all right," said Laura. She let out a breath. "Do you know where Guido Sebec's office is?"

"Yes. If you're here to set him right, you can sure give it a try. I've tried so many times to convince him of the danger of the Deva Yuga project, but he just won't listen. Now with all of this going on in our own building I'm hoping he will finally listen."

"The Deva Yuga project...?"

"Yes," replied the man. "A long-running project which was supposed to bridge the gap between the dimensions. Though we knew Guido was in it for his own purposes, we still followed int he hopes of making a breakthrough in science. Unfortunately," he said, his face darkening, "he had no idea what we were fooling with...and it would have been better for it to stay that way...it's all my fault. I should have realized..but I was, like the others, caught up in the race for knowledge..."

"So that's what you were spending nearly every waking hour doing.." said Renee, amazed.

"Yes, daughter..but I should not have even began it. And now I will help stop it. I will go with you to his office so we can settle this. I was on my way there, but..." the man's voice was cut off as a chittering of teeth was heard down the corner of the hallway the man had come from, more numerous than ever before.

"They've found me..! We have to get out of here...quick!" the man said alarmingly.

"Too late! They're coming down the hall!" shouted Rex, pointing down to where the mini-demons had began to pour from around the corner and down the hallway toward them.

A shield of light suddenly appeared, blocking the advance of the demons, taking up the space of the hallway. The man saw that Lori had her hand extended, the blue light around her, a grim expression on her face.

The man blinked, adjusting his glasses as he peered closer at the red-haired girl. "Fascinating..."

Laura laid a hand on the man's shoulder. "No time to ask now, let's go! Lead us to the office...how long can that shield hold if you leave it, Lori?"

"I'm not sure.." replied Lori, still a little subdued from the earlier incident. "So we have to hurry..."

"All right. Lead the way," Laura nodded to the man, who ran down the hall, the others following. "By the way," Laura said, "What's your name..?"

The man looked at her as they sprinted down the hall. "My name is Dr. Nichols. Nice to meet you, though I would have liked it to be under different circumstances..."

*****

Sineriitrii smirked, watching the door from inside Guido's office. He sent out a thought. ^So...they are almost here. This is your chance. Do not fail me.^

An answering thought answered him, its source invisibly present in the room. [I understand...]

*****

The group stopped at a black-oak door, catching their breath from the long run. They had managed to lose the mini-demons in the twisting corridors leading to Guido's office, but were still wary, weapons drawn.

"This looks like it," said Laura, reading the sign with Guido's name on the door, letting out a deep breath. The others did the same, steeling themselves for what could be their toughest battle yet. "Are we ready?" said Laura after a few moments.

The rest nodded in various wys, and Laura put her hand on the doorknob. With a determined expression, she turned it quickly, throwing the door open. She ran in, the rest of the group and Nichols following not far behind.

"Welcome," said the voice of what was assumed to be Guido as he sat behind his desk. Laura looked around, a little confused. She had expected quite a few guards in the room, and if nothing else, a few of those black-suited men in the room. Instead, there was nothing in the room at all, only the black pinstriped suited Guido sitting calmly behind the desk, his hands folded. It was the other man beside him, however, that made Laura's blood run cold. The man was dressed, strangely, in night black monk's robes, his long hair flowing out behind his back. Instead of the smirk that was on Guido's face however, this man possessed a cold look that made Laura want to turn away. His eyes, as well as (curiously enough) Guido's, seemed to glow with a faint, unearthly red light.

"You are Guido Sebec, are you not?" said Laura, turning her attention away from the black-robed man and back to the man sitting behind the desk.

"I am..and I know your reasons for coming here, thanks to my...associate.." he nodded toward the black-robed man, who inclined his head slightly, that same look in his eyes. "The answer is no."

"That's impossible!" cried Renee as she stepped up in front of Laura, advancing on the desk at the far end of the room despite Laura's silent motions to try and get her to pull back from the two men. "Can't you realize what's happening out there? People are dying...the city's been overturned, all because of _your_ madness..."

"I care not for those others who are below me, _Miss_ Renee Nichols" said Guido coldly, mockingly. "And I care even less for those who oppose me. I serve a greater purpose - my own." At that, the man standing next to Guido showed, for just an instant, some semblance of emotion. A look of amusement had flickered across his face as Guido had made that last statement. Guido went on, not noticing the black-robed man's change in expression. "With what I plan to do, I will become powerful...maybe even..a god. In business, that's the way it works. You crush anyone under you in order to advance yourself. You move upward on the backs of others. And most of all..you elimnate anything that opposes you."

Guido's eyes flashed dangerously, his mouth curling into a sneer. The black-robed man's eyes glowed more intensely, for an instant. Something flickered into existence quickly beside Renee, just out of her line of sight. Dressed completely in heavy black metal armor, the figure seemed to loom over everything in the room, a black visor completely covering all features of the face except for the sickly red glow that came from behind the eye sockets. A weapon flashed into the figure's hands.

It was a giant spatula.

Renee shot a look to her side, and screamed as she realized she was in range of the figure's attack. Before anyone else could move to help her, the figure reared its weapon back, intending to make a slicing motion which would decapicate the girl. Renee threw her hands up in a futile attempt to block the swing.

And then Dr. Nichols sprang into action. Moving far faster than any man of his age, he sprinted the length of the room to save his only daughter. As Renee moved her hands up to ward off the blow, she was pushed to the side of the room by the man's shoulder. At the same time, the figure struck, swinging the blow that was meant for Renee..but now caught her father. The sharp blade edge of the spatula swung sharply and quickly, slicing open the scientist's abdomen in one swift motion, blood caught by the edge of the weapon as it moved through Nichols' stomach. The black figure's eyes glowed brightly, then faded again as it disappeared to materialize again at the side of the black-robed man. Guido smirked. "Ah...Dr. Nichols..I had no idea you were in the room." he said, a little mockingly.

Dr. Nichols collasped to a kneeling position, the blood already streaming out of his mouth and stomach as he put his hand to his hideously lacerated gut. Renee screamed as the others rushed over to his side, horrified. Nichols sunk to laying on his side, his breath coming in measured gasps. "Dad! NO!" Renee screamed, the tears coming down her face.

Despite the obvious pain he was in, Nichols managed to smile a little. "It's..ok..Renee.." he croaked. "I've done my part...now do yours...stop him..stop him from his purpose....do it...for your dad...who was consumed my the quest for knowledge..." He sighed, both in pain and in regret, his eyes closing.

Renee's eyes went wide as she saw her father's eyes close on her. Laying him down gently to the ground, she stood up. Looking over at the two men and the hulking figure before them, she muttered coldly, but loud enough for all to hear.

"You bastards."

"For once...I agree with you," said Laura, shaking her head as she saw Nichols on the ground, still bleeding.

"This has gone too far," said Walski, hefting the bokken in his hands. "Time for payback." They advanced on Guido's desk, Renee still speaking to Guido, her voice becoming louder by the minute.

"You bastards! You stupid bastrads!" she yelled in pain and grief.

Sineriitrii's look grew cold again, and Guido stood up, still calm as ever, but with a cold type of rage in his voice. "So...you think you can fight, then..hmph." He moved around the desk, Sineriitrii staying with the figure in in the black armor, who still held the bloody spatula in its hand. Guido faced the group down, seemingly unafraid to take on six people by himself. Suddenly however, 10 figures materialized in front of him - 10 mini demons of the kind that had led the group of demons in the attack on the school. their whips in their hands, their fangs dripping they chittered at the group of students in front of them.

Renee was undaunted. "You killed all those people...you killed my friends...and you even killed my own father. You're gonna pay if it's the last damn thing I do!! Go!" She yelled, her Persona coming to life, the blue column surrounding her. As Akane's image looked at the demons with a hard look, a huge concrete bloack appeared in Renee's hand. With a yell, she launched the block at Guido, throwing it over the heads of the mini-demons in front of him.

Guido calmly stood, and then extended his hands. The block impacted them, and he was pushed slightly back - however, the block crashed against Guido's invisible shield, doing little harm to him. Renee showed visible surprise and the others seemed to be in shock.

"Impossible!" shouted Bradster over the noise, squinting again. "That should have taken him out, and I can hardly see that as it is.....!" Guido laughed as he lowered his hands.

"So..." he said in mock respect, "_you_ have the power of Persona, do you? Let me show you how it's done..." He smirked, and he concentrated. An invisible wind began to whip his suit around as a familiar looking blue light sank into the ground from all around him, rising up around him to surround him in a tall column...

"No way!" said Laura in surprise. "It can't be...!!"

"It is.." said Rex as he gazed at Guido's obvious power. "This definitely levels the proverbial playing field, doesn't it?"

Guido laughed again as he raised his hands. The image of a diminutive martial artist in a maroon-colored gi hovered above him, the look on the image's face making it impossible to not identify exactly who Guido was able to draw on..

"Happosai..." said Laura as she looked, transfixed.

Guido reared back, the figure doing the same. "Happo Daikarin!" came Guido's voice in a shout as a bomb flew toward the group, its fuse already lighted and descending into the makeshift firework.

Laura realized this was the same move which had knocked them all out before, and prepared to jump away. Again, however, Lori placed her hands up, her Persona flaring up as the bomb exploded against a hastily made shield. The group was thrown back a little, the heat of the bomb able to be felt through the shield, but for the most part came out unscathed.

Guido smirked, his Persona still active as the power coursed through him. "Not too bad...but still too weak to beat me. I don't have time to deal with children. Sineriitrii, come..to the Deva Yuga..." Guido's figure flickered and he faded out of existence.

Sineriitrii looked at the group with that same cold look, and then nodded to the figure next to him. ^Black. Finish them.^ he said simply. He winked out of existence.

The figure called Black looked toward the group, stepping in the place where Guido had stood. Extending the hand that held the spatula, he gave a silent command to the demons, who advanced forward. Showing surprising agility, he leaped to the attack, swinging at Laura, who jumped back, her Persona flaring into life.

Laura looked around for help, but found the others busy defeating the other mini-demons before them. Renee swung a newly formed concrete nlock around, flattening demons out of exstence. Walski swung his bokken forward, the Blue Thunder Slash cutting a swath through two other demons. bradster swung a ball and chain around, no doubt having pulled that from the arsenal of Mousse, who emulated Bradster's actions above him. Lori refused to attack for some reason, letting the demons bang on her shield as Rex came over with his umbrella, swinging wildly, tossing out spinning bandannas that cut through the ranks of the demons, wounding them.

Laura was on her own against Black, who was swining again with that sharp spatula, looking to cut her open. Surprising to Laura was that a Persona also inhabited Black, the blue column surrounding him as he swung, the image of Ukyou grimly looking on his actions.

*Look out!* shouted the voice of Ranma suddenly. Laura jumped back, executing a backflip as Black suddenly threw three mini spatulae at her. The spatulae stuck into the ground harmlessly as Laura moved away from them.

"Amaguriken!" yelled Laura as she jumped forward, executing the Chestnut Fist. Black blocked every single punch with the giant spatula, the red glow of his eyes growing slightly brighter. Laura jumped back as did Black.

The black-armored figure realized he was outnumbered, the demons around him having been destroyed by Laura's companions. It stepped back from the group.

[You are good,] he said, his voice echoing from behind the mask. [But this is not the last you will hear from the DarkSiders..]. His eyes flared a bright red as he disappeared, fading away.

Laura blinked as she remembered the words of Rijk, as she was sure everyone else did. "Beware of the DarkSiders.." echoed Rijk's voice in her head. She put the thought away for further processing.

She looked around at everyone else, all of whom were breathing heavy, as the fight had taken a lot of energy from them all. "Where did they go..?" she said, looking around.

"He mentioned something about..Deva Yuga..must be whatever they use to traverse the dimensions.." said Rex, thinking. "But we have no idea where it could be.."

Bradster gave out a shout as he lookedat the desk. "Hey, check this out.." He pushed a hidden button underneath one of the drawers, and the Sebec logo behind them moved suddenly, moving up. A lighted short passage was revealed, showing an elevator.

"Ok, that's the way. Let's get to it," Laura said as the group filed intot he passage. Renee was the last to follow, looking back at her father, a last tear running down her face. Wiping it away, she steeled herself and followed the others into the elevator.

*****

The group ran down the narrow passageway, having descended the elevator without incident. The constricting passageway was tough to move through, but the group was driven by urgency. Moving quickly, they got to the end of the passageway, and threw open the double doors.

They entered the Deva Yuga room, vast in appearance, tall in stature. No one was present in the lab at the moment, and the Gate stood silently in the center of the room, powered by some unknown source. Laura looked around, looking for Guido, when they all heard a maniacal laugh coming from the console next to the Gate. Looking over they saw Guido, along with the black-robed man called Sineriitrii stading at the console.

"You are too late," said Guido. "I am triggering the system and it will take me to the other dimension we have reached. I've programmed the system to destroy itself after it transports me. You will never be able to follow, and I will come back when I am more powerful.." The man laughed at his position as Laura clenched her fist in frustration...

*****

Dr. Nichols stirred. The room began to come into his line of sight again, and he immediately doubled over in pain on his side. He had lost consciousness from the loss of blood, and it seemed that some force was brining him back for some last purpose. He knew he was surely dead, if not now, certainly in a few moments, and he had said all he had to to Renee.

His shaking hand pulled a remote control from the folds of his lab coat. It was bloody and battered, but was still useful. With only enough strength to push the red button at the top, he collapsed once more, never to rise again...

*****

Guido blinked in shock as the system suddenly came to life. "What?! What's happening?!" he said angrily. "Did you do this?" he asked the black-robed man.

Sineriitrii for once looked genuinely surprised. ^I didn't do it...^

Laura, seeing her opportunity, shouted to the others. "Let's go! This is our chance!" They rushed the platform, looking to climb the stairs to the Gate...

Guido looked at the monitors, trying to discern what was wrong. His eyes flickered to the nearest screen which read "Power overload imminent. All power to be shunted to Deva Yuga. Remote activator is source."

"Damn...it must have been Nichols..!!" said Guido, slamming his fist down on the monitor. "Is he insane?! He shouldn't be pouring this much power into it...if he does, it'll.." The Gate sprang into life, appearing in the middle of the two mechanical towers. This time, however, the delicated balance of power was compromised, and the dimensional energy fought to get free of the constrints on it.

"That idiot!" yelled Guido. He turned to face the group, who had reached the top of the stairs. They took defensive stances, their Personas flaring up.

"This is the end, Guido.." said Laura, agrim look on her face.

"For all of us, you stupid girl! Because of her.." he pointed at Renee, "father, we're all going to die here...!" The first column cracked as the dimensional energy pushed against it. It threatened to collapse backward, faults appearing at the foundations.

"This doesn't look good...!" said Walski, as the humming of the Gate increased in power and intensity. The second column began to crack.

"Everyone, get down!" said Laura, pulling Renee to the ground with her. Before the rest followed suit however, the first column exploded out, flooding the room totally with bright blue light...

*****

Laura opened her eyes.

She expected to see the charred room, destroyed by the energy, but blinked when she looked on a bright blue sky. She looked around. Blinking, she looked on what appeared to be a ruined street. Houses were caved in, garbage was everywhere, and the same occasional screams she had heard in her own town were heard here. Guido was nowhere to be found.

She looked to the side. A complex stood to her right, weathered by whatever had destroyed parts of the twon. Her eyes ran quickly over the structure, and right to the sign which laid splintered in front of the gate. Picking up the two halves of the sign, she put the two halves together. Even with her limited knowledge of this language, she knew exactly what the sign read.

The sign read - "The Tendo Dojo"...

-End Chapter 6

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