Of Phantoms and Thieves

Control

As much as the Phantom Thieves wanted to wipe the psychotic look off the Shadow of their leader, the laughter that followed was enough to make them break. It began quietly, until the soft giggling grew into full blown chuckling. They watched in horror as Joker stumbled over the side of railing. Panic turned into alarm, and the teens stood frozen as he fell.

And yet... he came out unharmed. The thieves couldn't have predicted what happened next. The Shadow sunk through the carpet, disappearing from sight. Just as his head was gone from view, the lights went out. The theater was encased in thick darkness, and the group of friends were unable to see.

"Is everyone alright?" Yusuke shouted.

"I can't see a thing, but I'm okay," Ann stated.

"It seems like everyone is fine," Haru breathed.

"I sense mass distortion coming from the direction of the stage!" Futaba cried. "Everyone stay on your guard!"

The entire palace trembled, causing the thieves to fall over.

"Is... is the ground tilting?!?" Morgana exclaimed.

"Well, well! Isn't this rather amusing...!" Joker's voice rang. "The Phantom Thieves, about to meet their end!" His voice took on a serious tone. "You should have never come here. If you had only listened to me, then I wouldn't have to dispose of you. I made my choice, and there's no turning back!"

A streak of light broke through the obscurity, landing directly on the Phantom Thieves.

"Why don't we round up this final act?"

"This light... It's so bright..." Morgana groaned.

"Gah!" Futaba yelled.

"Oracle, what's wrong?" Ann questioned.

"This light, it's messing up my sensors," she explained. "I can't get a read on anything."

The ground began to tilt in the other direction. The thieves began to slide towards the wall.

"Wah!" Ann shouted.

"Grab hold of my hand!" Yusuke called out.

Ann grabbed onto Haru and reached her other hand out, latching onto Yusuke's arm. Yusuke drew his katana and stabbed it into one of the chairs. Futaba and Morgana slid out of reach, slamming into the right wall. A spotlight broke away from the main beam and followed the two as they were separated from the others.

"There's more than one spot light," Haru observed. "Oracle said that it was messing with her sensors."

"Fox, weren't you observing one of the pillars earlier?" Ann asked.

"Yes, I was," Yusuke muttered, struggling to keep them up.

"Mona-chan!" Haru shouted.

"Y-yeah?" Morgana replied.

"Move into the shadows of the pillars! That should block the lights!"

"Will do!"

They watched as Morgana and Futaba crawled behind a pillar.

"My sensors are working again," Futaba reported.

Once again, the ground tilted, swinging the thieves in the other direction.

"Ah!" Futaba yelled, her and Morgana now on top of the pillar.

"The ground is completely vertical now!" Ann cried in alarm. "If we fall, we're gonna die!"

"Fox, how much longer can you hold us up?" Haru questioned.

Yusuke grimaced as he sweat. "Not much longer..."

Haru glanced down at the long drop. "Ann, help me swing onto one of the chairs. At least then we can hold onto the arm rests instead of Fox."

Yusuke gasped as he lost grip of the katana and they fell. They screamed until the ground jerked, smacking them and launching them sliding to the right. Yusuke grabbed his katana as Haru and Ann slid into the wall.

"Noir! Panther!"

"We're okay!" Ann shouted. "I think, anyways... My face and chest hurt..."

"Mine as well," Haru murmured.

"Hey guys," Futaba said in a monotone voice. "There seem to be four control panels that change the position of the theater. Two on the left, two on the right."

"So, we need to dismantle them?" Ann guessed.

Futaba nodded. "But I can only see where they are from the shadows. I'll have to guide you from here."

"Sadly, they're all on the floor above," Morgana explained. "I managed to climb up and destroy one of them. This place can't tilt any further to the right than it already is."

"It's just the left that is dangerous now," Haru summed up.

"We need to split up and take out the rest," Ann said.

"Tell me where to go and I shall navigate there," Yusuke called out.

"I think this might be a job for Mona," Futaba countered. "I'm not sure how you guys would get up there."

"Just leave it to me," Morgana proclaimed. "I'll get rid of them in no time."

"Like I told you, they're in the corners in their own booths."

"Gotcha."

The floor tilted once again as Morgana scaled the pillar. The girls stayed next to the pillar as Yusuke held onto his katana.

A spotlight followed Morgana as he climbed onto the second level, blinding him whenever he turned his head. He managed to reach the top and climb over the railing when a foot connected with his face, nearly sending him flying. A foot stepped down on his chest and Morgana looked up to find a gun pointed at him, a smirking Joker behind it.

"You act as if I can't see or hear you," he whispered. "Did you really think I'd let you come this far?"

Morgana stared silently.

"Nothing to say? I understand."

"Meeeeoooowwww!" Morgana cried.

He watched as gunshots fired above him, and Joker dodged before he could be hit, sinking into the floor once again.

"Are you unharmed?" Yusuke called out.

Morgana looked at where Yusuke hung, now almost level to the balcony that he stood.

"I'm fine. Nice shooting, Fox."

Yusuke nodded and watched silently as Morgana dismantled the control panels. Every so often, Yusuke would fire, assuring that Morgana came to no harm from the Shadows. Futaba pinpointed the panels and called out directions. The ground was still tilted as Morgana finished the last panel. Sparks flew as the spotlights went out,  leaving the thieves in darkness once again.