2:02 AM — Somewhere Within the Gray Ring — Shirley's POV
There was no sensation of falling. No sensation of standing.
For a brief, impossible moment…Shirley couldn't feel his body at all.
The world around him dissolved into an endless sea of dull gray.
There was no floor beneath his feet. No ceiling above his head.
Only an infinite expanse that stretched farther than his eyes could follow, "…What…"
His own voice sounded distant, as though someone else had spoken it.
Beside him floated Michonne.
Or, at least, it looked like Michonne.
Her black hair drifted weightlessly around her, and her hand remained firmly wrapped around the hilt of her katana.
A few feet away, EBS spun slowly through the gray, arms flailing, "WHY ARE WE FLOATING?!"
"…We're not floating," Shirley muttered, "I don't think we're… anything."
No one answered, because none of them knew. The gray world remained perfectly silent.
No wind, no movement, not a decibel of sound.
Then, ripples.
The endless gray surface around them trembled.
Michonne's eyes narrowed immediately, "…Something's wrong."
The gray around them pulsed harder. Almost…like it was resisting itself.
A distant sound echoed through the emptiness, not a voice, not exactly.
More like someone trying to speak from impossibly far away.
"…nn…"
EBS stopped moving, "…Did you hear that?"
The sound came again, louder this time.
"…No…"
"…Not…"
"…There…"
Shirley frowned, "…Who's talking?"
No answer came. Instead, the gray sea erupted.
The space around them twisted violently.
The three were suddenly yanked sideways as though some invisible force had grabbed them.
EBS screamed, "What is happening?!"
Even Michonne's footing disappeared as the gray world folded in on itself.
For one impossible instant, Shirley thought he saw another place.
A grand ballroom. Rows of unconscious passengers. A woman with black, unkempt hair clutching her head in agony.
Their eyes almost met.
Then, everything shattered.
2:02 AM — Ascension Gala, Second Floor: Outside August's Office
Shirley slammed shoulder-first onto polished marble, "…OW!"
He rolled twice before crashing into the leg of an expensive mahogany table.
EBS tumbled after him with an undignified yelp.
Michonne landed last.
Unlike the other two, she hit the floor in a crouch, one hand already gripping her katana.
Silence. Only the quiet hum of the aircraft.
Shirley slowly pushed himself upright, "…That…"
He rubbed his shoulder, "…was worse than the wall."
EBS groaned from the floor, "I liked the wall better…"
Michonne ignored them. Her eyes swept across the room.
Dark wood paneling, towering bookshelves, marble pillars, paintings framed in pure gold.
A long hallway stretched in both directions, lined with ornate doors.
Not a single prisoner. Not a single cage.
"…This isn't the cargo hold," Shirley said quietly.
"No," Michonne replied.
Her expression slowly hardened.
"…This must be…" She looked toward the far end of the corridor, "…the Second Floor."
Then she noticed something on the marble floor. A thin trail of crimson colored blood.
She knelt beside it and touched it with two fingers.
Still warm.
Her face became unreadable, "…Someone fought here."
Shirley looked down at the blood, "…Recently?"
Michonne nodded once, "Yes."
The three slowly followed the trail with their eyes.
It disappeared beneath a large pair of double doors at the end of the corridor.
No one spoke.
Because all three were thinking the same thing.
Someone…
Had to be waiting on the other side.
2:04 AM — Ascension Gala, Second Floor: August's Office
The office looked like a battlefield.
The heavy wooden doors creaked open as the trio stepped inside.
Silence greeted them.
The room had been torn apart.
One wall had completely collapsed inward. Marble flooring was fractured beneath deep craters. Bookshelves had been ripped from the walls, their contents scattered across the floor. A massive mahogany desk lay split cleanly in two.
Dark stains of drying blood stretched across the marble.
EBS stopped in the doorway, "…What happened here?"
Shirley slowly turned in place, "It looks like a tornado came through."
Michonne said nothing. She was already examining the room.
Her eyes traced every shattered chair. Every broken wall, every bloodstain.
Someone had fought here, someone incredibly powerful.
Meanwhile, Shirley wandered toward one of the collapsed bookshelves.
Hundreds of books lay scattered across the floor.
He crouched down, carefully picking one up, "Books… I remember these."
A grin spread across his face, "So there is more of them out there."
EBS wandered over, "They're kind of… pretty."
She picked up another one, turning it over in her hands, "I've never actually held one before."
Shirley flipped through a few pages, "…There's so much writing…"
Without hesitation, he tucked the book beneath his arm before grabbing another.
Michonne glanced over her shoulder, "…Kid."
Shirley ignored her, "We might never see books again."
He handed several to EBS, "Here. Hold these."
EBS instinctively accepted them, "…I kind of want one too."
She smiled sheepishly.
"…Maybe… one day…I could show these to my viewers."
Shirley looked at her, "You're still planning on streaming?"
EBS's smile faded, "…I don't know."
She looked down at the book in her hands, "My viewers…they're the only people I've really talked to. For years."
Her voice became quieter, "They made me feel like someone actually wanted me around."
Shirley nodded, "I understand."
Michonne let out a quiet sigh, "…Sentimental conversations later."
Her attention never left the destruction, "This wasn't random."
She slowly walked toward the largest crater in the floor. Her fingers brushed across a fractured section of marble.
"Heavy impact," She turned toward another wall, "Several high-speed exchanges."
Then to the blood, "One combatant was injured." Her eyes narrowed, "…Badly."
She closed her eyes for a brief moment.
Who… Long Brow CH2?
No. Too uncontrolled.
FR7?
Impossible.
He preferred manipulation over direct confrontation.
Then, only one name remained. Michonne's eyes opened, "…Diamond."
She looked around the ruined office once more, "…And if I'm right…"
Her gaze settled on the trail of blood disappearing through another doorway, "…She lost."
A chill settled over the room. Shirley slowly lowered the books in his hands, "Is she in danger?"
Michonne's voice became sharp, "Very."
She turned toward them, "Change of plans."
Both Shirley and EBS straightened immediately.
"We're free now."
She rested one hand on the hilt of her katana.
"We're looking for whoever walked away from this fight."
2:07 AM — Ascension Gala, First Floor: Entertainment District
"…Where are they, D1?"
August's voice remained calm.
Too calm.
He slid a pair of golden brass knuckles over his hands, tightening each strap with practiced precision.
D1 fought to keep her breathing steady, "I… I opened the Gray Ring."
She forced herself to meet his eyes, "They just… haven't stepped through yet."
For several long seconds…August simply stared at her.
Then he looked away. His gaze drifted across the Entertainment District.
Rows upon rows of unconscious passengers stretched beneath glittering chandeliers.
Not a single one stirred.
His eyes eventually settled on the floor. Tucker. He layed their motionless.
A smile slowly crossed August's face, "…Waiting is such a waste of time."
He crouched beside Tucker and grabbed a fistful of his hair.
The unconscious young man didn't react.
August began dragging him across the polished floor, "I suppose I'll entertain myself until our guests arrive."
He chuckled quietly, "If they keep me waiting much longer… I'll simply go find them."
His smile widened, "Especially Michonne."
The bathroom door opened. Then closed.
Silence returned. Only after he had completely disappeared did D1 finally let herself breathe.
Her knees nearly gave out beneath her.
She stared toward the empty hallway.
"…Please…"
Her voice barely escaped her lips.
"…Hurry."
"…Whoever you are…"
"…Please hurry."
2:08 AM — Ascension Gala, Second Floor: August's Office
"…Understood?"
Michonne looked between Shirley and EBS.
Shirley scratched the back of his head, "…Can you explain it one more—"
The sheath of Michonne's katana shot toward his face.
He jerked backward just in time, "…Never mind."
Michonne lowered the weapon with an irritated sigh, "Listen carefully."
She pointed toward the trail of dried blood leading out of the office.
"A fight happened here. A serious one. My best guess is that August fought Diamond."
Shirley blinked, …The Playing Card commander? The Diamond?"
Michonne nodded, "The damage fits. So does the blood."
She looked around the ruined office one final time, "Diamond doesn't destroy rooms like this unless she's been pushed beyond her limits. And judging by the amount of blood…I think she lost."
The room fell silent. Michonne continued.
"August is no longer here. But if I had to bet… he would be directly below us."
She pointed toward the floor beneath them.
"The Entertainment District."
She drew her katana with a quiet metallic hiss.
"When we find him, there will almost certainly be Smileys guarding him. I'll deal with those."
She looked at Shirley, "You keep August occupied with me."
Shirley nodded immediately.
Then Michonne turned toward EBS, "Your objective is different. The cockpit."
EBS instinctively gripped the pocketknife at her side.
"When we engage August, you move. Threaten the pilots if you have to, force them to land. No matter what happens downstairs, this plane has to reach the ground."
EBS swallowed, "…Got it."
Michonne's eyes moved between them one last time, "This is our only chance."
She rested the flat of her blade against her shoulder.
"We take back this aircraft."
Her expression hardened.
"And every prisoner aboard…"
"…goes home."