New chapter.

Just to warn I'm going to be switching between Diego and Shadow once they are in the Hollow. Mainly because it's his codename and nickname.

Also, Demo. I put that little RP of yours, in here concerning Diego jacket.

Don't own the art, they belong to their respective creators.

Enjoy!

-In the parking lot behind Random Play-

"They're here."

Diego noted as the Cunning Hares car came into view and parked next to the twins own car.

"You're here!" Nicole shouted. "Perfect timing!"

"We live here Nicole."

Wise deadpanned.

"Well, excluding Chris and Diego." Belle said. "Though where Diego sleeps is unknown to us. He never tells us."

"And I never will."

Diego smirks.

"Still..." Wise said as he crosses his arms. "That was actually rather fast of you to get here, Nicole. Be honest...you didn't run a red light again did you?"

"Pft, no!" Nicole scoffed at that accusation. "We just passed a normal green light, R255 in the RGB scale."

"Uh-huh."

Diego deadpanned.

"Oh, don't worry!" Nicole said. "I made sure I wasn't followed the whole way."

"...Anby, remind me again what an R255 green light looks like?"

Billy asked Anby.

"..."

"..."

"It's the same color as your jacket."

Anby quietly whispers to him.

"...Say nothing?"

He says.

"Nothing about what?"

Anby said.

"Alright, Nicole." Belle smiles at her. "They've both been extracted. It's time to pay up."

She said.

"Not so fast, you greedy gremlin!" Nicole shouted. "That is NOT what we agreed on and you know it."

She stepped back from Belle.

"The commission was: "MY people AND the client's item." You've only completed the first half!"

Nicole said.

"Oh don't worry, we know." Belle smirks. "But we also know how slippery you are."

"Erk!"

Nicole face turn blue.

She had her there.

"Stop teasing her, Belle." Wise said, amused. "We still remember, and we never leave a commission half done."

"That's our Phaethon!" Nicole smiles happily, bouncing back from her slightly depressed state. "Reliable as always!"

"Now, let's get that strongbox!"

She said, hand in the air.

"First thing first." Diego said. "We need to gather intel. Based on what Anby and Billy have said, the strongbox is being guarded by that Ethereal."

"Correct." Anby nodded. "According to the White Star Institute it is registered as Dullahan, a superior Ethereal."

She says as a screen shows said Ethereal.

(Dullahan)

"Ah! That's the one!" Billy said. "That's the Ethereal that Red Fang dude was unlucky enough to be mutated into. His Ether Corruption must have been pretty intense, considering he's become such a dangerous Ethereal."

"Well, he's definitely not some run of the mill Ethereal."

Diego said.

"You got that right!" Billy nodded in agreement. "Anby and I tried to grab the strongbox, but that guy was so tough! Much tougher than we expected despite him just turning into an Ethereal. We had to flee from him and lose our chance to grab it before we got extracted out of there."

"Well, the good thing is that you guys are safe." Chris pointed out. "Which means you still got a chance."

"That's true kid."

Billy nodded.

(Billy and Anby were briefed by Nicole about the new kid in the group. They nearly had a heart attack at that)

"But uh, boss?" Billy looked to Nicole. "What exactly is in that box that is worth all this effort? Is it really worth it?"

"Uh-huh." Nicole nodded. "Well...we'll find out soon enough. Anyways, take a look at this!"

She shows them a necklace that looks like the insignia of the Red Fang gang.

"A tooth?"

Belle said as Wise took a closer look at it.

"Wait, Belle. This doesn't look like a normal tooth." He said. "Look here, there's an opening."

"A hidden flash drive?"

Diego said.

"Yep!" Nicole nodded. "I noticed that Silver always kept it on his person so I figured that it must have been extremely important to him. I had a feeling that it might be connected to the strongbox so I snatched it from when Public Security tried to blast us to pieces before I made my escape from Fourteenth Street."

"Good job, Nicole."

Wise said.

"It looks funny."

Chris said.

"Taking a closer look, it seems to have suffer some damage."

Anby noted.

"Yeah, that's a lot of burn marks!"

Billy added.

"Phaethon, while we retrieve the strongbox from the Hollow, can you work your magic using that complicated computer of yours?"

Nicole asked.

"You mean the HDD?" Wise asked. "Hmm, it's mainly used to process Hollow data."

He murmured.

"But if we only need to export what's in the flash drive...then..."

"Oh!" Belle suddenly said. "Hey, bro! I could try to use the Inter-Knot's computing power to recover the data."

"That could work."

Wise said, nodding his head at that suggestion.

"Great!" Nicole said. "While you're doing that, we'll try to locate the strongbox in the Hollow. So, I guess this is where we part ways for now!"

"Later, Nicole."

Wise said.

"Be sure to sign up for our membership!"

Belle said.

"Try not to get into trouble on the way back."

Diego said.

"Bye!"

Chris said as the Cunning Hares prepared to leave.

"Don't forget to extract the data from the flash drive!"

Nicole said.

"See ya, Manager!"

Billy shouted.

"Goodbye."

Anby said.

*VRM!*

Was the sound of the Cunning Hares car driving away.

"Alright." Diego said as he turned to Chris. "Time for you to go back home."

"AW!" Chris said. "Do I have to?"

"Do you want Tanaka to have a heart attack again and go on a city wide search for you?"

Diego deadpanned.

"...Let's go."

Chris said.

He was not dealing with that again! Last time he didn't come home when he said he would because he fell asleep at Random Play. Tanaka went on a frenzied search for him and brought his concerned parents into it.

While happy that his parents were willing to put their work aside for him. He was embarrassed at the misunderstanding that it was.

"Later."

He said to Belle and Wise.

"See you around."

Belle said.

"Be back in a flash."

Diego said as Chris got on his back and they were off.

*WHOOSH*

The wind left behind sending things flying as Wise and Belle hair got all messy.

"That speed is seriously unmatched."

Belle deadpanned.

"Do you want your coffee or not?"

Diego deadpanned, holding coffee and newspapers in his hands and arms.

!?!?

"EEK!!"

Belle screamed as she jumped into her brother arms, Wise startled as he nearly buckled over from the unexpected additional weight.

"That was fast!"

Belle shouted.

Diego rolled his eyes.

"You really need to get use to this."

He said as Wise dropped Belle.

"HEY!" Belle shouted. "How mean, dropping a delicate lady like myself onto the hard floor!"

"Delicate lady?" Wise said in surprise. "YOU??? A delicate lady?"

"HEY!"

Belle shouted.

"Are you insinuating that I'm not a delicate lady!?"

"Are you even a lady?"

Diego smirks.

"WHY YOU!!"

Belle shouted as Diego and Wise simply smirked and fist bumped each other as the three headed back into the store.

-Several days later-

"Hey guys!"

Nicole smiles as she greets them.

"We figured out the location of the strongbox and are about ready to retrieve it!" She said. "How are you doing with the task I gave you?"

"If you mean the flash drive, then it's already been recovered." Wise said. "Just as you thought Nicole, it does have something to do with the strongbox. It contains the password needed to open the strongbox."

"Great!" Nicole said. "Alright, everyone! Thanks to the Proxies help, preparations are now complete. It's time for the next step!"

"Anby!"

Said girl stepped forward.

"It's time to explain the plan!"

"Roger."

Anby said as she shows a map of New Eridu.

"A map of New Eridu?"

Belle blinks as she and the others stare at the map.

"Yes." Anby nods her head. "Plan: Enter the Cretan Hollow. Defeat the superior Ethereal, Dullahan, then recover the strongbox."

"...That's...it?"

Belle ask.

"Yep."

Anby said.

"And?"

Wise asked.

"There is no 'and'."

Anby stated.

"Rather confident, aren't we?"

Diego said.

"I think a little bit too much confident."

Chris said as he gave Diego a shiny little rock that Diego asked him to bring from the Thorndyke Manor where it is usually kept for safekeeping.

"Nicole says we have to show some professionalism." Anby bluntly stated. "And also we can't let our partners look down on us. Otherwise, it'll be hard to bargain with the-mpffh...!"

Anby mouth was covered as Billy covered it with his hand,.

"Saying too much again, Anby?" Nicole groans as she grabs the map back. "Billy...why weren't you paying attention?"

"Not my fault!"

Billy retorted.

"Anby is unpredictable, and you know it! How was I supposed to know Anby idea of a professional meeting was this..."

Billy blinked as something clicked.

"AH! That's why she was watching all those crime investigation movies before the meeting!"

"You guys are idiots."

Diego said closing his eyes.

"We're still here and can hear you."

Wise said.

...

"A-HEM!" Nicole coughed loudly. "Getting back to business, the goal really is as simple as Anby said: Find and retrieve the strongbox and hopefully not have to deal with the Dullahan that much if possible."

"Sounds easy enough."

Belle smiled.

"Don't forget that monitoring the situation in real time inside a Hollow isn't possible from the outside." Nicole reminded them. "So we'll be counting on you guys for support and guidance once we're inside."

"Hmph!"

Diego smirked.

"Doesn't matter if you guys encounter that Ethereal."

He says.

"Because I'll be going with you guys into the Hollow this time."

?!?!

That statement got everyone's attention.

"WHAT!?"

Nicole, Billy, and Belle shouted while Anby looks surprised.

"Diego." Wise spoke up. "Are you sure about this?"

"Very sure." Diego smirks as he crosses his arms. "Besides, something is telling me that I need to be there this time. And besides, someone has to save their deadweight asses if the going gets too tough for them."

He says as he points to the Cunning Hares.

"HEY!!"

Nicole shouted.

"Besides." Diego said. "This works out well for us. I get some exercise, and we keep Phaethon rep intact by ensuring our contractors are safe."

"Can't argue with that."

Belle smiles.

"Alright then." Wise said. "When everyone is ready, we'll get this commission started."

-Timeskip-

"We're here."

Anby said as they stopped at the entrance of the Hollow.

"Let's go."

Eous (Wise) said as the group walked into the Hollow.

"Alright!" Nicole shouted as they stepped into the warped space. "We made it into the Hollow! Now, let's my find my strongbox."

"Speaking of strongbox." Billy spoke up. "Boss, who told you about the location of the strongbox anyways?"

"That my friend is a trade secret." Nicole smirks. "A girl gotta keep some secrets hidden."

"But I guess I can give up one little secret."

She added mysteriously.

"Oh?" Wise said. "We're all ears."

"Truth be told...it was actually kind of easy." Nicole said. "I have a few contacts at the Association who just so happened to have records of routine observation missions and Ether resources for this Hollow."

She explained.

"SOoooo, I gave them an offer that they couldn't refuse under any circumstances and asked them to help compare data from the last two mutations. Locating the strongbox was as simple as circling up the difference."

...

(Is she a mafia leader?)

Chris whispered to Belle and Wise.

(Don't worry Chris, this is kind of normal)

Belle smiled as she said this. Use to Nicole information network.

"Sheesh, Nicole!" Billy said. "You're good!"

Nicole:" ...Data from the last two mutations. Locating the strongbox was as simple as circling up the difference!"

???

"Huh?" Chris blinked as he looked at the HDD. "Did she just repeat herself?"

"Hmm..."

Wise said.

Billy: "Sheesh, Nicole... good!"

"Huh?" Belle frowns. "Billy just repeated himself again."

"Is something wrong, guys?"

Diego said as he looks at Eous, noticing that something was up with the Bangboo.

"Did you guys just repeat yourselves?"

Wise asked Nicole and Billy.

That got Diego attention and caused him to frown in confusion and concerned about that.

'Is something happening on their end?'

He thought to himself as Nicole spoke.

"Huh" Nicole looks at the Bangboo with slight concern. "Proxy? Are you daydreaming? Isn't it time to go? I may know the approximate location of the strongbox inside the Hollow, but it's up to you to get us there!"

"Just try not to slow me down."

Diego told her as he started walking.

"HEY!"

Nicole shouted as Diego walked towards the direction of where the strongbox was located.

"Stupid sexy lone wolf ikeman."

She growls as she looks at Diego before following. Several large broken glass shards reflecting Diego image on them.

(Artist is HALLSTH_EIEN)

(This is his battle outfit when in the Hollows. And yes, his appearance has also changed to disguise his appearance to not be caught by Public Security or any other law enforcement or unscrupulous groups. His hair is black and red, and eyes are red. And his tan is darker.)

(Fun fact: Belle steals his jacket because it is big, fluffy and warm)

(Diego (Shadow): "Where's my *DAMN* big fluffy jacket!"

*Belle is caught using it as a blanket for a movie.*

Belle: "Shadow-kun... I REFUSE TO GIVE UP THE FLUFFY!"

Diego (Shadow): "Hand it over, Belle!"

Belle: "You're gonna have to fight me for it–AAAAHHHH!!!"

Diego lunges at the poor girl as she could only use a Bangboo as her only defense.)

"Careful Nicole." Anby warned. "One might think you like him."

"AS IF!!"

Nicole shouted, annoyed.

"He's such a pain in the ass!"

She grumbled as they followed after him.

"Wait up! You still need the directions even if you're going the right way!"

Nicole shouted as Diego stopped.

"Here they come."

He said as Ethereals charged straight at them.

"These guys again!?" Nicole shouted as she started blasting. "You are NOT getting between me and my strongbox!"

"Locked and Loaded!" Billy shouted as he started blasting away.

"Ready for combat!"

Anby calmly says as she started slicing Ethereals with her sword.

"Chaos Spear!"

Diego shouted as he unleashed a barrage of Chaos Energy in the shape of spears. Before rushing against the stunned monsters.

*BAM* *KICK* *PUNCH*

"HAH! HM! HIYAH! HUH!"

Diego grunted as he took down the Ethereals with no effort.

"So that's how strong he is." Billy said. "I've heard tales of Phaethon Enforcer: Shadow. How powerful and terrifying he is and how terrifyingly unyielding and determined he is to see a mission through!"

"No wonder Public Security and HIA want him." Anby said. "Someone as powerful as him would definitely catch people eyes."

"Too bad for them, that he has interest in joining them." Nicole added. "Diego got to be the person to hold the world record of how many times he said NO to them. And they still insist on him joining them because he can, and I quote: 'Do so much better than working with no good job stealing thieves like Proxies.' Unquote."

"...You don't want to know how badly they were sent to the hospital."

She added.

"It's a good thing he has this weird ass ability to change his appearance and avoid detection outside the Hollow." She added once more. "His powers are beyond anything; anyone has ever seen and he would be a powerful and vital asset to anyone. I heard HAND has also tried to extend an invitation, and even tried to entice him to join by giving the title of Void Hunter. Something that currently, only one other person has in the current age, but he refused."

"You gotta wonder why he chose to work for Phaethon."

Billy said.

"It's no secret that Diego, er, sorry forgot codenames in the Hollow in case of eavesdroppers who so conveniently or coincidentally happened to be here, I mean, Shadow works only with Phaethon and no one else."

Billy said as Anby spoke up.

"He only works for them and no one else. Everybody is confused about why he would work with Phaethon only and not join Public Security or any other legal associations. Many bemoan the fact that he is 'wasting' his time and talent by working with a Proxy but he does not care."

"He must have his reasons."

Nicole said.

"And I think we shouldn't pry into them if we want to leave here with all our limbs intact."

She warned.

"YIKES! Don't scare us with that because he most likely would!"

Billy trembled.

"Understood."

Anby stoically said, though if one looked closely a bead of sweat can be seen trailing down her face.

"..."

'Idiots.'

Diego deadpanned to himself.

"Phaethon."

Shadow spoke up.

"How's everything on your end?"

He asked them.

-Timeskip to yet another one of Belle attempts to steal his jacket-

(Diego (Shadow) wakes up to see Belle staring down at him with a terrifying gaze. Reaching for his Dual-Vipers, he aims one of them at girl with a snarl.

Diego (Shadow): "What do you want!?"

Belle let's a few heavy breaths before leaning towards Diego (Shadow) and softly whispers.

Belle: "Your jacket... MINE!"

Belle quickly snags the jacket and runs away with it with Diego (Shadow) chasing after her.

Diego (Shadow): "Give me back my jacket! You shortass jerk! Chaos DAMN!"

Wise: "I don't get enough sleep to deal with this.")

-Back at Random Play-

"Strange is all I can say."

Wise said as he and Belle were running some diagnostics on the HDD.

"The HDD is acting funny today."

Belle said.

"Hmm...is something disconnected then?"

Shadow asked them.

"This might be a bad time to interrupt." Anby spoke up. "But the air around here seems to have grown thicker."

She said as she tensed.

"Yeah." Billy agreed. "The resolution on my video sensors just dropped, too."

"Stra-"

Shadow voice seemed to have cut out as Nicole spoke.

"That must means we have..."

*Bzzt...*

"What's going on?" Chris asked, concerned. "This isn't normal for you guys, right?"

"No, it isn't." Belle shook her head. "What's going on?"

"-Right...Proxy?"

"Uh...huh?" Wise looked startled as communications seemed to be going back to normal. "Sorry, I didn't catch that, Nicole. What did you say?"

"Don't drift off while guiding us! I paid top dollar to hire the best Proxy around, Phaethon! Watch out or you might just get a negative rating on Inter-Knot!"

Nicole warned.

"And then who would you get as your Proxy that isn't always after your ass to pay them back?"

Shadow cockily said and laughed.

"You wouldn't give them a negative rating even to save your life."

"Fuck you, bitch!"

Nicole gave him the middle finger.

Diego just laughed.

"You should probably come up with better threats, Nicole." Belle said. "But Wise and I need to check the HDD. It seems to be coming from our end."

"That's weird."

Shadow frowns.

"We've done this so many times that I can't count." He said. "Why is the HDD acting up now?"

"That's a good question." Belle said.

"One that isn't so easily answered." Wise said. "Belle, the HDD is reporting an error."

"An error?"

Chris said.

"The connection is unstable."

Belle said.

"Are you sure?" Chris asked. "Seems awfully convenient to malfunction right now when you're on such an important mission."

"The kid's right." Shadow said, crossing his arms. "I find it awfully suspicious that you're having problems NOW."

He emphasized the last word as he looked directly into Eous eyes where Wise can see him.

"Doesn't *Static* fact-Bzzt-connection...unstable..."

"What's going on?"

Billy asked.

"Something is hindering the Bangboo."

Anby said.

"...HDD's Backend is reporting an error."

Belle said.

"Hold on a sec." Wise spoke up. "I'll sync and try a debug."

"Er, Manager?" Billy spoke up. "Do we keep going?"

"Shadow has the coordinates also, and can take you there." Wise said. "Ether activity seems to be stronger than expected and is impacting the HDD signal. Hold tight!"

Wise warned.

But before Wise or Belle could anything.

*GASP!*

Wise gasped as his back made contact with the chair backrest.

"Huh?" Belle had a tone of surprise. "Wise, why did you disconnect from the HDD?"

"I didn't." Wise groaned as he put a hand on his head. "At least, not intentionally."

"You were kicked out?"

Chris asked him in surprise.

"It seems like it." Wise frowns as he stares at the HDD monitors. "The connection between the HDD and the Hollow was somehow severed!"

"Try to get it back on!"

Belle said.

"Even with Shadow with them it's still risky!"

She yelled.

"Let me run a debug."

Wise said as he typed on the keyboard.

Only for the monitor to show a 'ACCESS DENIED' message.

"It's no good." Wise frowned. "I can't get the connection restored."

"What's going on?" Chris asked, now worried for Diego and the others. "Why is the HDD not working?"

"I don't know." Wise said. "Normally a Hollow shouldn't be affecting the HDD to this degree. It's usually easy to deal with."

"But that isn't the only problem now." Belle said. "Nicole and the others. Without us to guide them, even if their Ether Aptitude is good, it'll only be a matter of time before they get corrupted by the Hollow."

"But Shadow with them isn't he?" Chris pointed out. "He already knows something is up and can get them to safety right?"

"Yeah..." Belle said. "That's true. But without a Carrot and a Proxy it'll be harder even for him to get everyone out. His method of leaving Hollows might not be safe for everyone else."

"What can we do then?"

Chris asked the two.

"..."

The two were silent as they tried to think of anything they haven't tried yet.

*Gasp*

Belle eyes opened wide as she had an idea.

"We still have one last thing to try!" She said as she dramatically pressed the reset button. "We can try resetting it!"

She shouted in a dramatic way as she poses as Wise and Chris just gave her blank looks.

"Haven't you heard the saying?" She asked. "Turning it off and back on again can fix anything."

She says as Wise shook his head in exasperation at his sister actions.

"Sooooo..." Chris spoke up as he pointed to the monitor. "Why is it still on then?"

!?

True to his words, there was no change from the attempted reset as the monitor was still on and still showing the error message.

"Huh?" Wise was confused. "He's right, I thought Belle shut it down. Why is it still on?"

The three looked at the screen before Wise put a hand to his face as he suddenly connected the dots.

"So..." He started. "The connection problems..."

"Aren't on our side..."

Belle finished as realization hit her too.

Before anyone could say anything else.

"Ha...haha...ha..."

Laughter could be heard coming from the monitor.

"Hmph." A new voice could be heard. "I thought you'd never figure it out..."

An unknown logo appears on their screen.

"Phaethon!"

The hacker said as Belle, Wise and Chris stare at the monitor. At their uninvited and unwanted guest made his entry into their system.

Done!

Phew. That took longer than I wanted it to. But it's done.

Have a good day/night.