During the fallout from Shido's Calling Card

As Sae blinked away the vivid dream of her past interrogation of the infamous leader of the Phantom Thieves, events crystallized in her mind. The interrogation had been a long, intense process. Despite the senseless beating he had endured, despite the **** in his system even at the end, and despite all the tricks she had learned as a prosecutor Ren Amiya had refused to break or confess the names of his accomplices. In a sense it was Sae that had finally cracked during their verbal exchange. Certainly the woman who entered that dark chamber all those weeks ago would have seen it that way. She had failed and lost. Worse, she had acted directly to aid a criminal who had only recently been threatening to alter her mind and possibly end her life given what happened to Okumura and the high school principal. But that was only a matter of perspective. In truth Sae regarded what had happened in that bleak little **** chamber as a mutual act of liberation. Somewhere, somehow, there was still some tiny sliver of who she really was, malnourished and weak from long times locked away in the prison she had built for herself (every brick a threatened witness, or planted evidence, or another betray of a father's morals for the sake of a conviction). Her sister had seen it in her. Ren had seen it. All that was left was for Sae to see it herself, and to let it back out. In the end, freeing the prisoner just felt like returning a favor.

But it had consequences. They all knew it would. And the consequences for Sae Niijiima began the very day the Phantom Thieves announced they were targeting the heart of Shido Masayoshi.

Sae was sitting in the back of a police vehicle, still in her typical black business suit (although looking more disheveled and in disarray than she would have ever allowed herself to be under any other circumstances). Glancing down she found her hands were firmly secured in two steel rings of metal. When the news finally broke regarding the Phantom Thieves there had been a lot of anger and confusion, much of it directed her way. How had they escaped? How had they faked their leader's ****? She had been the last to see Ren alive as far as anyone knew. She had carefully played the corrupt conspiracy surrounding Shido and her superiors to her advantage, knowing their own secret operations to dispose of the body and keep information out of the public eye would be her shield. She was feigning ignorance of all events prior to receiving her own calling card from the Phantom Thieves. The ploy seemed to be working so far. But the real test was yet to come. Soon it would be her turn to face down an interrogation.

How she had managed to fall asleep en route to her questioners not even she could imagine.

She had only a few moments to review her situation before the door next to her was opened and Sae found herself not so gently pulled out of the car. The world outside was a mad cacophony of flashing lights, sirens, and a thousand uniformed personnel running in every direction and barking questions and orders to each other at the same time. Clearly, the Phantom Thieves had caused quit a stir. Sae smiled to herself, before a burly hand grasped her by the arm and began to steer her through the chaos. Far above her rose a familiar concrete structure, towering overhead and seeming to glare down on her as they approached. She had visited the prison adjacent to the court many times in the past. But until now those visits had all been related to her work.

Strange how she had never really noticed just how bleak and menacing the building this moment. Perhaps that was fitting. How often had she instilled these very emotions in other future residents through her callous pursuit of convictions? This was simply the taste of her own justice finally on her own lips. It would be best to swallow it wholesale and remember the bitterness the next time she contemplated serving it to anyone else.

Sae was pulled from her revere by movement to her left and right. She had assumed the crowd was simply the result of the calling card. In actuality, most of the faces now milling about were ones she recognized. Several of the assembled uniformed officer she had worked with in various capacities on cases across her career, similar to her most recent relationship with Akechi. More surprisingly there were an equal number of business suited men interspersed with the police, all faces she knew very well from the prosecutor's office. In fact, as they moved further away from the general chaos of the crowds Sae noticed a large contingent of colleagues and associates was following alongside her and the escorting officer. And each of them seemed to be carrying some sort of camcorder or high end digital camera, the sorts Sae associated with forensics when a scene needed to be preserved in crystalline, precise detail. What was going on?

"Sae Niijima?" A gruff voice asked, drawing her attention back to the front of her.

They had arrived at the heavy glass doors of the main lobby of the prison. A large man in a business suit was towering over her, his arms crossed and his eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. Sae was familiar enough with the process to know the face of her interrogator when she saw it.

"Yes. Hello. I-" She began.

"Sae Niijima. You've been implicated in the involvement of a certain terrorist organization known as the Phantom Thieves of Heart. This group is responsible for threats, coersion, **** and as of today has issued a direct threat to the elected leader of this nation. You are the last known witness to have seen and spoken with the leader of this group. You are also a prime suspect in the events that led to his escape from prison. Do you understand the charges and the situation you are in?" He said with a stony voice.

"Of course. As I said, I have no memory of-"

"We'll take your statement in a moment. First I need to emphasize that this latest incident has elevated the status of the Phantom Thieves from a mere group of vigilantes pushing for social change to an outright terrorist organization threatening the security of this country by targeting the head of our government. We are currently in a state of emergency and have been directed to proceed with this investigation with all due haste and to employ any means necessary to find and eliminate this threat. Normal police procedures and rights will not apply to your case until that situation has changed. Do you understand?"

'As if human rights were of any great concern to you before this.' Sae thought sardonically to herself, recalling the beaten, **** mess they had left Joker in not so long ago. "Of course. You'll have my full cooperation."

"We'll see." He said, nodding to the police who proceeded to remove Sae's handcuffs. "Before we go any further, do you wish to make any amendment to your statement that you have no memory of events after receiving your calling card? Would you like to provide any information on the whereabouts of the Phantom Thieves?"

"I don't have any memory of-"

"Empty out your pockets and place them in this tray." The man interrupted, producing a large metal bin that he placed at her feet.

"Excuse me?" Sae said, mystified.

"Empty out-"

"I heard you. Shouldn't we wait to confiscate my items until we enter the building?" Sae said.

"Do you have any recollection as to the location of the Phantom Thieves, Mrs. Niijima?" He asked coolly.

"No, I-"

"All items in your pockets in the tray. Now. If you are unwilling to do so yourself the officers will assist you." The man said, glancing at her escort.

Sae grumbled in annoyance, while a creeping sense of dread bubbled up in her stomach. She withdrew her wallet and smartphone from her business suit pockets and placed them in the bin.

"Thank you. Now place your shoes in the tray in front of you."

"My what?"

"Do you have any recollection as to the location of the Phantom Thieves, Mrs. Niijima?" The man repeated, deliberately mirroring each word exactly as he had before.

"I already told you I-"

"Your shoes, please."

Sae glared, her dread growing. She had a strange suspicion forming in the back of her mind, but surely...She removed her high heels and placed them in the bin.

"Very good. Please remove your jacket and-"

"All right, this is absurd. This is a very expensive business suit. I'm not just going to-"

"Do you have any recollection as to-"

"I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE DAMNED PHANTOM THIEVES ARE!" Sae snapped. "And I am not going to stand for- EEEEK!"

A sudden flash of pain caused her to squeel in surprise and dance about on her tip toes in a decidely un-Sae fashion, instinctively grabbing her left butt cheek. One of the guards standing at her side had produced a long rod...an electrified baton much like Ren had once described the residents of that absurd Velvet Room he dreamed of carrying. A chortle ran through the surrounding crowd. Sae blushed profusely.

"Jacket in the bin, Mrs. Niijima. Now."

Blushing, Sae delicately removed the black upper layer business suit and cast it into the bin. She had an uncertain look in her eye, her butt still stinging from the brief zap she had received. She was also feeling increasingly self conscious. Her appearance was one of the things she prided herself in cultivating. An essential part of being professional. Beneath her coat she typically wore a sleeveless black shirt that left her shoulders exposed. She disliked showing that much skin, especially in front of her long time work colleagues. And the dread in her stomach was now almost overwhelming. She knew the basic procedure her interrogator would follow. First, establish a sense of control and dominance. Convince the target they were helpless and their only lifeline was to answer the questions posed to them. And the interrogator would also know she herself was highly proficient at obtaining confessions. He would be employing unusual tactics. But surely...surely...

The trajectory of this situation was painfully obvious. The only hope Sae clung to was that they wouldn't have the audacity to-

"Take off your pants and place them in the bin." The interrogator said, the hint of satisfaction his eyes as he dashed her hopes to pieces.

"You...you can't be serious." Sae whispered.

"Do you-"

"I don't know where the Phantom Thieves are! I sincerely don't! There's nothing I can do to help this investigation!" Sae pleaded.

And she meant it. The memory loss was a total lie, of course, but she was entirely ignorant over everything the Thieves had planned for Shido. Deliberately ignorant. She had been very careful and emphatic on this point with Ren and her sister. Under no circumstances were they to whisper one word about where they were going to be during the operation, where they intended to hide after the deed was done, or any sliver of detail between the issuing of the calling card and Shido's final change of heart. It was the first rule of interrogation. No one could **** information out of you if you had no information to give.

"You have to believe me..." She said.

"Oh, I do." The interrogator said, a falsely warm smile on his face.

"You..you do?" Sae asked slowly.

"You are either telling the truth and lost all memory, or you are lying. In either case I doubt you have any actionable intelligence to provide us." The man shrugged.

"Then...then..." Sae whispered. "Then surely we don't need to-"

"But Mr. Shido needs an example made. His cabinet needs an example made. The police and the prosecutor's office need someone to hold responsible. Someone needs to regret, down to the very fiber of their being, ever interfering with the affairs of very powerful men. Whether deliberately or just through sheer bad luck of being in the wrong interrogation at the wrong time. Somebody needs to take responsibility. And since we don't have the Phantom Thieves with us right now, the one who needs to receive that lesson just happens to be Sae Niijima."

The pair stared at each other.

"Take off your pants and place them in the bin, Mrs. Niijima." The man said, her dismayed face reflected back in the black lens of his sunglasses.

Sae glanced around her. On all sides her colleagues stood, malicious grins on their faces, cameras in hand. The guards stood by humorlessly, batons in hand. She stood as still as stone, her mind going numb as her dread consumed her. She was shocked from her reverie as one of the guards took a menacing step towards her. With an uncharacteristic blush Sae hastily undid the buttons of her tight black business suit, unzipping her professional attire. She paused a moment longer, holding her pants at waste level, searching for some hint of mercy or hope of escape. At last she pushed them down, a deep sense of humiliation enveloping her as she bent at the knees, showing off her black panties and her round posterior in the process. She cursed herself for not planning ahead. She was dressed in a slinky black thong, the kind she imagined her other self in the casino palace would have approved of. It gave her a sense of confidence. She had considered the possibility of a strip search remote and the risk acceptable. Never had it crossed her mind that she would be stripping off in public, everyone in her once respectable professional life mocking and leering at her!

"I admire your dedication to the all black motif you have going." The interrogator said with a smug.

Sae fidgeted, covering her panties front and back with her hands, pulling self consciously on her shirt to keep more of her underwear hidden. She could hear cameras going off all around her. The icy, professional facade she normally showed the world was most likely discarded in the bin with the rest of her clothes. She blushed and flinched, feeling the eyes of the crowd on her. Then her eyes looked up to meet the shades of the interrogator. His smile was malignant.

"No." Sae whispered. "Please no..."

"Remove your shirt and place it in the bin."

"I..I can't." Sae whispered.

"Do you recall any information on the location of the Phantom Thieves, Mrs. Niijima?"

"N-no, but..." Sae choked out.

"Please place your shirt in the bin."

"You don't understand! I'm not...I don't have anything on underneath the shirt." Sae whimpered.

The crowd exploded with laughter. Sae's face burned hotter than the Sun. She glanced around at the crowd, filled with shame. But the worst part was the utterly stoney, merciless face of the interrogator.

"Take off the shirt. Place it in the bin." He said as the crowd's laughter died.

A terrible air of anticipation descended as Sae shuffled from side to side, her hands clasping the hem of her last semblance of modesty. With a soft whimper of defeat, Sae pulled the shirt up over her head, knowing she was giving a shameful glimpse of her gorgeous naked breasts. She hastily discarded the article of clothing, using her hands to hide her naked state, her head bowed in abject shame. She'd known deep down that this would be the day she would suffer the consequences of her corrupt actions. She simply never expected karma to target her sense of pride so directly, or for the loss of it to be so devastating.

"Please remove-" The interrogator began.

"I won't." Sae said in a choked voice.

"I beg your pardon?" The man asked.

"No more. I can't do this anymore. I don't know where the Phantom Thieves are. You've humiliated me completely! I won't discarded the last shred of dignity of I have to satisfy your sadistic whims!" Sae said, trying to sound defiant but her voice cracking on the last word.

The interrogator snorted and shrugged, nodding to the guards. Before Sae could react she felt a hand firmly grip either side of her underwear. And in one sharp motion Sae Niijima was completely naked, her cleanly shaven pussy on display and immediately photographed by a hundred cameras.