The sickly-sweet synthetic jingle of the alarm clock nagged Lazula awake. The holographic numbers screamed 6:00 into her eyes. Though she rose at the same time every morning, that didn't mean it was always easy.
An athlete's arm landed on the clock on her bedside table just as the minute changed, leaving her alone with the sound of a constant rain pattering against her window. It was the second day of October, roughly the time of year when every citizen of Port Cyrreine would forget what the sun looked like until April.
Six in the morning. Time for first breakfast. Then a run before her morning workout. Then her protein-rich second breakfast, just like any other day. Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to push herself upright. Muscles all the way down her back burned with the slightest effort. Her arms felt much the same, and after trying until beads of sweat traced her hairline, she admitted they couldn't move her weight. It felt like a couple of winters before, when she got hit with a particularly nasty case of the flu. Muscles hurt, joints throbbed, her entire body felt heavy.
Even breathing hurt.
She clutched the collar of her satin camisole and pulled it out to inspect her skin. She almost gagged. There was something viscerally wrong about seeing your own skin black and purple, raised a third of an inch above the pale surroundings. The darkness spread across her chest in raised veins.
She'd have to get it looked at somewhere. And maybe a day off would do her good. After all, getting up at six to work out every morning was more a matter of pride than anything, and she had already broken that streak after the Vytal Tournament. She gave one more solid attempt at pushing herself upright, before a sharp tweak in her shoulder reversed what little progress she made.
"Nope. Nope, nope, no, no..." she repeated the words as she drifted back into sleep.
The rattling at Lazula's bedside broke into her dream and forced her out of it. Her shirt was damp, clinging to clammy skin. She flung the bedcovers to her knees, abandoning what felt like a fever for a wave of chills. Her arm's movement worsened her throbbing headache. She drained the cup at her bedside before so much as a glance at her Holoband.
"Dad?" she grumbled. "Why's he calling so early?"
She picked the device up and separated its two rigid halves until it spread out into a tablet. She gawked at the time. 12:13pm. According to her sleep schedule, almost half the day was already over with.
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Lazula. I'd like to debrief yesterday's events with you and Caspian's teams in my office later," the Headmaster addressed. "Can your team arrive by 1:30?"
Lazula tested her arm muscles. Her shoulders ached, but were at least able to lift herself off the bed, and in the general direction of a painkiller or two. "Sure. I'll talk to them."
"Thank you."
"Too wet out there to harvest. We can try this evening."
Lazula stared at the shadowed beige ceiling, clutching the sides of her forehead and venting her frustration on a breath through grit teeth. Why hadn't the voices stopped?
Before her shower, Lazula shot messages to Snow, Laurel, and Ichigo. By the time she had finished cleaning fourteen hours of sleep off herself, the first was already waiting in the team's common area. She missed Lazula's nod her way, far too absorbed in the black paperback in her lap. Lazula walked down the short hall to her room, weaving glossy strands of navy hair into her towel. She dropped her dirty clothes somewhere near her bed, and came back out to meet Snow.
The feeling of seeing Snow for the first time since the hospital was difficult to describe. Here sat the same girl she had been partners with over the last school year, and a friend for months before that. She looked the same as before- the same as any other girl.
But, she wasn't. She was a computer in human skin. One that had developed thought and emotion somehow, created a consciousness from nothing. She didn't quite understand it all.
"Hey," Lazula greeted, pulling a chair away from the table and taking a seat. "I heard you fought yesterday. I'm glad you're already feeling well enough to."
Snow was even quieter than usual. Her only reply was a near-inaudible noise and light nod.
"I know I haven't said much about this yet. And, well I know I didn't visit you in the hospital. But I want to be clear that it's alright with me."
Snow finally looked up from her book. "What is alright?"
The tension in Lazula's voice faded on her breath of laughter. "That you're an android."
"Oh. Thank you. It does feel strange that everyone knows now."
"They've taken it pretty well." She remembered the day in the hospital and stifled a grimace. "For the most part."
"I think I was afraid. I thought more would react like he did."
"Who, Noxis? Yeah, don't worry about him. He's miserable, and decides to make it everyone else's problem."
Snow's expression changed. Her brows drew toward each other, and her eyes lowered to her side.
"But anyway, I heard something happened yesterday with Team CRLN. What was it?"
Snow's fingers pinched the corner of her page, lifting it from the next ever slightly. "Team CRLN was having trouble apprehending a certain target, so I was brought in to help them. I was told to not divulge further information to anyone. Without exception." She looked from Lazula's eyes, to her book, back at Lazula. "I'm sorry."
Lazula sighed, leaning back into her chair and gazing out the window. "It's fine. The Headmaster sure likes his secrets."
"It's currently classified information."
"So that's what he calls it."
By early afternoon the rain still hadn't let up, and the wind had only intensified to drive it sideways across Lazula's cheek. By the time she reached Headmaster Skye's office, she had already seen the same drone footage of the one known as 'Condor' on five different screens. It was the kind of image that stuck with you after just one view. A huge winged man aiming a rifle at the camera before lowering it. The winged man staring into the camera with the eyes of a corpse.
After Python's arrest and a quiet Summer, the true mastermind of the Red Claw had revealed himself.
Upon arrival, Lazula realized she wasn't the only one who had a tough time the day before. Team CRLN, minus Noxis again, was one collective blue-and-black splotch. She couldn't tell whether Rowan or Caspian looked worse. Lilly's bruised arm held the elevator doors open for the lanky redhead as he exited on crutches and a bandaged ankle. Caspian had new glasses, a black eye, and an ice pack to accompany his plum of a nose.
Headmaster Skye sat at his desk, all Holoscreens off. The Headmistress and Uncle Douglas stood to each side. "First of all, I'd like to thank you all for your participation yesterday," the headmaster began. "And I'd like to say, I'm ecstatic that all of you are still here today, considering all that happened."
"On behalf of Frontline, we sincerely apologize that all the effort fell to your shoulders," Douglas added. "This is exactly the kind of incident androids were created for. And full stop, we failed. The disabling protocol used yesterday is known only by Frontline Biomedical employees- or former ones. We've narrowed down the identity of the one behind it to one man." A holographic ID image flashed over the table. The subject wore small, thick-framed glasses, and his silver hair was swept back to reveal darker sideburns that met the patch of hair on his chin. "This is Sylvester Arkit. Former IT Lead of Frontline Biomedical. And, I'm guessing, the Red Claw's sole tech guy," he continued. "If you know anything about him, or see him anywhere, contact us immediately. But he must be good at hiding. I used to work with him, and I have no idea where he went."
"...Kraken," Ichigo whispered.
"What was that?" Douglas prodded.
"He... helped us when we were looking into Arum Ceddrak," Ichigo told. "Yeah he hacked my laptop, but I started to forget he was our enemy. Then he turns around and does something like this..."
Douglas nodded. "Will you speak to the Headmaster and I after this? There's a possibility we can trace him."
"Yeah."
"But why'd Frontline's IT lead ditch 'em and join the Red Claw?" Moka questioned.
Douglas was halfway through fixing his tie when the question came. His fist tightened on the knot. "...His motives are currently unknown."
"We were also able to discern the identity of another high ranking member of the Red Claw," the Headmaster added. A holographic image blown up to the size of the desk flashed above it.
"No way..." Lazula muttered. Noxis's image stared back at her.
"Noxis Orion, member of Team CRLN, was apprehended yesterday thanks to the rest of Team CRLN and Snow. As I heard last, he's still unconscious and under supervision at Frontline Biomedical's central hospital." The Headmaster nodded to Caspian. "I will especially be in contact with you if his condition changes. And I'll allow special permission for visitation if you so choose."
Caspian swallowed the knot in his throat. "What's going to happen to him?" he asked.
"As of right now, we can't be certain," the Headmaster answered. "The charges against him are serious, that much I'm sure of. But I wholeheartedly believe in second chances. And if we find we can trust him, someone with access to inside information would be a valuable asset against the Red Claw."
"Trust him?" Rowan questioned. He tapped his bandaged ankle with a crutch. "He's already shown exactly why we shouldn't trust him!"
"Maybe we should visit him," Lilly suggested. "We didn't get a chance to talk yesterday. If he's in the hospital and under supervision, he won't hurt us."
"I am curious," Caspian admitted. But he couldn't be sure whether the curiosity outweighed his unease. Maybe it was better they leave it like this. Let Noxis be taken away to wherever he goes, maybe get a replacement to fill out Team CRLN.
"I need to know," Lazula stated. She took a deep breath. She didn't want to know. "How many people died yesterday?"
The Headmaster's eyes faltered behind his glasses. The time he took to prepare his words let Lazula know enough. "Attendance to yesterday's event was capped at fifteen hundred. Fifty-seven made it out alive, all but three of which were seriously injured.
The small crowd in the Headmaster's office was silent. Lazula couldn't tell who cursed under their breath.
"An attack like this is... unprecedented, at least in these times," Headmaster Skye said. "But this is part of being a huntsman too. Sometimes, as hard as you try, you can't save everyone. And I know all of you tried your hardest. For that, I thank you."
Word Noxis woke up came just a couple hours after the meeting. Caspian, Rowan, and Lilly met that afternoon in their common area to discuss visitation. Rowan needed the most convincing, but the three eventually settled on heading out at six, arriving a bit before the visitation window closed for the day. That way, no matter what, things wouldn't drag on for any longer than they needed to.
The clouds hung low in the sky. Fluffy patches of white and grey floated across deep blue on the brisk sea breeze that lifted bright orange leaves off the branches lining the path to Sentinel's hospital. Caspian pulled his cashmere scarf up to his chin, pushed his glasses in close, and buried his hands in the pockets of his indigo parka, shielding himself from the cold.
Two androids blocked Noxis's door, only stepping aside when Caspian relayed the passcode given by the Headmaster. They remained to each side as the door opened, clutching the baton handles at their belt in unison. At the far end of the room, Noxis looked out at the city.
His head tilted toward the sound of the door opening. His tail stiffened, and he turned fully to face the three who entered.
"What are you doing here?"
Caspian wrung his hands together. "My dad allowed special permission to visit you," he answered.
"Sure. But what are you doing here?"
Lilly welcomed herself into the room first. "We wanted to talk with you. While we still have the chance."
"Why did you do it?" Caspian asked before his thoughts could get the better of him.
"I already told you why. This city is built on Frontline's greed. And perpetuated by the ones who buy into all their bullshit!"
"Fifteen hundred people are dead because of you! Do you feel nothing?!"
Noxis's fist balled up on the table beside the window. "Do you think I don't know that?" he returned. "Yesterday, I helped take over the stadium's control room. I helped lock all of them inside. I heard their screams, and I heard them stop. But those people... they're all a part of the Red Claw's plan."
"Told you we were wasting our time here," Rowan griped. "Dude's nuts. Our team's better off without him, anyway."
Caspian pursed his lips, loosening his scarf's grip on his neck. "I have another question. Are you the one who controls the Creatures of Grimm?"
"No."
"I'm gonna guess it's 'Condor,' then?" Caspian pressed. "Who is he?"
"What makes you think I'm going to tell you anything?" Noxis grumbled. "I don't even know his real name. No one does."
"You're putting an awful lot of faith into someone whose name you don't even know," Lilly noted. Caspian marvelled at her skill at making such pointed observations without a trace of hostility.
"He has a plan for this city," Noxis insisted. "That's what I have faith in."
"The plan that involves killing thousands of people?" Rowan jabbed. "There were kids at that event, man."
"I just..." Caspian started. He paused to gather his thoughts. "I wanna take a step back. How do you even get into something like this? How do you end up as a student at Sentinel, and a Red Claw Head?"
Noxis's mouth opened with the beginnings of a response, one that was lost to a grimace. His breath passed through clenched teeth. "Fine. Here's my sob story," he muttered. "I already told you about my dad, and that much is still true. My mom left him when I was a teenager. She didn't even think to bring me with her. Maybe it was easier for her. But I think she knew I was too far gone already."
"Smart lady..." Rowan muttered.
"Leave."
Lilly's grip on Rowan's forearm was the only thing keeping him in the room. "I'm sorry, please continue," she welcomed.
Noxis's glare persisted, before his eyes finally shifted away. They caught some of the day's dying light. "Fine. After that, things with him got even worse. Had I not unlocked my aura when I did, he probably would have ended up killing me." He ripped a frayed string from the sleeve of his loner clothes. "I floated around the streets for a year or two, doing what I had to to get by. Then one night I messed up. Someone got hurt, and I got arrested."
"Did you-" Caspian stammered. "I mean, are they- are they alright?"
"Don't know," Noxis admitted. "He was alive last I heard, but I'll never know." With downcast eyes, he nodded. "That's when Condor found me. He started talking about the Red Claw, telling me it was a resistance group, full of faunus like me. He bailed me out, and told me he needed my help. I'd be going to Vale. Further away from my life than I'd ever been. I think that's why I agreed in the first place."
"You're from Mistral. You have nothing to do with this city, but you speak like your actions against it are justified?" Lilly questioned. "You're only here because this 'Condor' brought you here."
"Really?" Noxis cut in. "Because I'm not from here, I have no right to point out how backwards the entire city is?! Griswold Baine is making a mess of the entire world. And he'll keep doing it unless we do something about it."
"Frontline is helping people," Caspian contested. Though after Summer, he had begun to doubt his own words. He still hadn't figured out why Arum Ceddrak was so intent on killing Snow. And why the whole thing was so thoroughly silenced.
"'Helping' them?" the wolf faunus scoffed. "Anyone who thinks so is part of the problem."
"This 'Condor' brought you here, told you what to think and told you what to do," Lilly maintained. "It seems as though he's using you. Nothing mo-"
"Don't even start," Noxis snapped. "You've been acting real high and mighty about this whole thing, but you don't actually care about me, do you? You pity me! You pity me, and I can't stand it!"
"Noxis, we're trying-"
"Get out!"
The news anchor's teleprompter-guided voice filled the apex of Empyrean Tower.
"This attack is the most deadly attack on Vale in twenty-six years. Port Cyrreine News Network has obtained footage from the massacre, showing the currently unidentified man who is believed to be the Red Claw's leader, the one behind the attacks."
The city's lights put on their nightly show beyond the wall of windows. Flashing advertisements and thousands of windows flickering on and off in a mockery of the stars. A giant Holoscreen blotted them out, a private theater of light for one. In its glowing ether, a man stepped over the masses blurred for the media; sprawling forms that were once people. The camera paused over his right shoulder, correcting itself and zooming in. The black-haired man looked to the drone with dead eyes. He pulled a hulking mass of steel from his hip and aimed it.
He lowered the weapon, but his stare persisted.
"If you recognize this man, or have any information that may lead to his arrest, you are urged to contact the Port Cyrreine Police Department immediately."
Griswold Baine stood on his pedestal, arms folded behind himself. He stared back, even after the winged man turned away.