As they returned to QUILL HQ, Lola and Copen were talking.
"Hey boss, that Zed guy's Septima, is it similar to Angered Explosion? Or do you think it'd be more like the detonation or that Dacite guy?" Lola wondered.
"Dacite didn't have a Septima. Regarding any Septimal similarities, I'd have to say Angered Explosion since the Detonation Septima merely creates explosions. While the Angered Explosion actually generates fire." Copen elaborated.
When the group returned to the new QUILL headquarters, the group was relieved to see Mr. Shino.
"He's going to be so mad at us." Zeno complained.
However, Mr. Shino was actually quite glad to see them all.
"It's nice to see they didn't get you Lily. All we managed to figure out about that ATEMS group is they're after the Binding Brands." Mr. Shino announced.
"We defeated two of the members, out of the four that were trying to steal the brands. And they still wound up taking them." Copen muttered.
"Try not to fret about it too much. Tomorrow you will be going to Sumeragi's Megafloat shipping facility. It's completely automated so you should only come across a few Peacekeepers trying to protect the facility." Mr. Shino informed.
"Waiting until tomorrow will give us time to formulate a method of entry and gather more intel." Moniqa explained.
"I hope my comic of the month subscription doesn't get stolen." Xiao worried.
Everyone looked at Xiao with confusion. Moniqa, shrugging her shoulders, returned to her prior engagement of research.
"You'd better hurry to get it then come right back. I can tell we'll be at this for a while." Copen stated.
Zeno, Atari, Gunvolt and Joule went home, while Lumen kept talking the entire way. Mr. Shino, Moniqa Copen and Xiao got takeout for dinner. Zeno made lasagna while Gunvolt made hamburger steak which was quick to prepare. During that night, Atari woke up at 12:45.
She found herself in a completely white room, with the floor made of white tiles, no grout showed anywhere. The room was fifteen feet long and ten feet wide. As she woke up, Atari stood up. Or, at least she tried to stand up.
Her knees buckled from sleepiness and caused her legs to fold under her. The sound of Atari's knees hitting the floor made a thud. But to anyone outside the room, nothing was heared. Atari wasn't hurt, just surprised.
She sat in silence on the floor for five minutes. When she got up, Atari got the idea to look for an exit. The last wall she checked was the right wall. The room was unlocked only from the outside.
It was opened using an ID and biometrics. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to open anytime soon. After turning around, Atari saw the same enemy they fought on the last missile. He was floating a foot off the ground, looking her directly in the eyes.
Zeno didn't even know Atari was gone. Atari wanted to ask him if he knew how to get out. But Atari was informed by Zeno that he was a "very, very, very, very, very, very, very bad" person. And Copen told her that despite how noble, knowledgable and just Zed's actions seemed, that it was all merely a show.
Remembering this, Atari took two steps back. She kept her hands at her sides, trying not to show any fear. Suddenly waking and feeling thirsty, Zeno decided to get up and drink a glass of water. He wanted to see if Atari wanted something to drink too.
After he got his drink, Zeno went to Atari's room. Only to find her missing, yet again. In an instant, Zeno both fully awoke and panicked simultaneously. Managing to both crash into multiple things and reach the house phone in the dark, Zeno proved that he had less class than charm.
Gunvolt had a nightmare that he was crying with Joule's lifeless corpse in his arms. All of a sudden, he heard the phone. Knowing it was an emergency, Gunvolt got out of bed, turned on the living room light, grabbed the phone and answered it.
"Zeno? What are you doing up?" Gunvolt wondered as he yawned. "It's twelve fifty in the morning."
"Lily's gone, again. I got up to get a drink. But when I went to check on her, the room was empty! So is the rest of the house!" Zeno panicked.
"I'll call Xiao, you call Moniqa." Gunvolt advised.
"I think you aren't fully awake yet man. I'll call Moniqa and you call Copen." Zeno denied before ending the call.
"How did this happen!? Again!?" Lumen fumed.
"Beats me, but we'd better get going. I'll grab the watch and call Copen." Gunvolt answered.
Meanwhile, Copen was wondering why Moniqa was on the phone with a worried expression when he got a call from Gunvolt.
"Lily's missing again." Gunvolt declared.
"Does Zeno know where she went?" Copen queried.
"Not a clue. He got up to get a drink. But when he went to ask Atari if she wanted one, he found her bed empty. She wasn't in the house anywhere." Gunvolt explained.
"This sounds serious, maybe we should check S-FIT. That's where she was last time." Copen reminded.
"Are you sure you'll be okay going back there?" Gunvolt queried.
"It's my father's tomb, the least I can do is go and pay my respects." Copen supposed.
"If you're ready, Zeno said he'd meet us at the entrance." Gunvolt notified.
"I'll make my way there now." Copen assured before dropping the call and getting his gear ready.
Lola noticed a more thoughtful look on Copen's face as he prepared his equipment. After hearing what Copen said earlier, she knew not to pry. Upon arriving, Lola understood what he was talking about earlier.