Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“ What the hell?” Pete gasped as the light pierced the sky along with a near deafening boom. He held a hand up to shade his eyes from the light. It was distant. A massive pillar from somewhere in the north east of the City. Despite that, it was impossible to ignore. “ What is this?”

“ Light.” Lenny hummed from next to him. “ Maybe one of the wings fucked up.”

“ Dunno. But… there’s something about it. It seems odd.”

“ Odd? Odd how?”

“ I dunno. I can feel a kinda pull.” He looked at his friend. “ You don’t feel it?”

“ Nope. Maybe you’ve finally lost the plot.”

“ Ah. C’mon.” Pete sighed. Was it really just him? How could that be? He looked back. He felt a strange warmth. He tightened his fist. Whatever. It didn’t matter. What mattered now was building himself up. If he could get out there, make himself noticed, he could join a syndicate. Be part of a Finger. Something bigger than just being a rat. Lenny and Mang-Chi may not get that but he’d drag them along with him. He couldn’t leave them behind after everything they’d been through. There was something about the light that soothed his doubts about that dream. He smirked. Perhaps this feeling was hope.

“ Hey. Got ‘em. What the fuck is happening out here?” Mang-Chi asked, bag of guts from a recently dead Fixer in his bag.

“ Who the hell cares?” Pete said. “ Come on. Let’s drop that crap off before it starts to stink.” Lenny and Mang-Chi shared a glance before nodding. As they walked, Pete stole a last glimpse at the pillar. One day. It would happen. One day.

****************************

“ Woah.” Finn let out a toothy grin as he looked up at the light. “ It’s beautiful.”

“ Huh? That? Psh. Man, new kid. You get impressed by everything don’t ya?” Eri joked. 

“ Ah ha ha. Sorry Eri.” Finn scratched the back of his head. This was his first job as a member of Yun’s Office. It wasn’t anything major either. Yun had put him with Eri. They were just out to find a stolen object. Some Rat had snatched up a dropped ring and scampered off with it. His weapon wasn’t much but Eri was impressive. Finn couldn’t afford the enhancements or fancy saw she had. His sister had offered but he didn’t want to rely on her kindness. “ But it is weird right?”

“ Yeah. I’ll give ya that.” Eri admitted. “ Must be some new Singularity from one of the Corps on the West side. Maybe W Corp is fucking around with some new sciency BS to enhance the Warp trains. Not our problem. Leave it to Hana or Liu.”

“ I guess.” Finn nodded. Something about the Light called to him though. It made him think about his dream. He’d become a top rank Fixer. This was just his humble beginnings, but when he got going he knew he could get to the top. He’d pay his sister back for raising him tenfold. He shook the feeling off. He couldn’t be a great Fixer with his head in the clouds. Any job was to get a reputation. With reputation would come work. He just had to believe he’d make it and it’d happen. This was the start of his story.

****************************

Mo put her hands in her pockets as she stared up at the Light. “ District 12, right?”

“ Has to be for it to be so close.” Arnold nodded. “ What’s going on up there?”

“ Well, they are an energy company. Maybe there was a breach and the whole thing went up.” Mo smirked. “ Heh. Maybe we could scour the remains. That’d pay off the debt.”

“ Ha ha ha. Maybe. Maybe.” Arnold grinned. “ Or maybe we could get Consta to stop stuffing his face for a few minutes.”

“ Speaking of, where is he?”

“ Dunno. He said something about getting help from a friend?”

“ Guuuys.” Consta shouted, running into their den. “ Man. That light’s incredible, huh?”

“ There you are. Where’d you go?” Mo asked.

“ Here.” Consta held a flyer out to the others. “ I got a friend. He works at Mors Industry. He says he can hook us up with some cheap replicant bodies. We won’t have to worry about the debt this way. Plus we can work longer and take a bit more of a beating. Heh. Not a bad idea, eh?”

“ Hmm. I dunno bout that.” Arnold mused, scratching at his thick beard. “ There ain’t no coming back from a procedure like that. And, while Mors is a good workshop, even their cheap shit ain’t cheap.”

“ Ah. You worry too much. What do you say, Mo?”

“ Hmm. I don’t see a better option, sadly. Well, we can always upgrade them later.” Mo sighed. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than no choice at all. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. After all, not like their life could get much worse than what it already was. Right?

****************************

The Light served as an interesting distraction. Noaki took her mask off and placed it down on the steel table the trio were sitting around. “ Not something you see everyday.” McCullin grumbled. “ More strange shit.”

“ Indeed.” Naoki nodded. “ Still, all it does is give us a brighter backdrop. It’s a good gig the old timer is offering. We’ll get knocked off by the Pinky soon anyway. No way they’re gonna keep us around after that last slaughter.”

“ Hmm. You’re right.” Taein admitted. “ Still. Boys ain’t gonna like it. Killer is quite literally in our syndicate's name. I understand Thelma thinks he can get us in with Shi but we know nothing about that bastard. It’s a tough call to make.”

“ Pah. Fucker probably wants a low rank office to give dirty jobs too while he jerks off in a manor in some nest somewhere. He strikes me as a bitch who thinks he’s smarter than he actually is.” McCullin yawned. “ Could just skin him and toss his body to the Middle. Those people always pay well for test subjects.”

“ He pays well. Taein shrugged.

“ We could just string him along. Besides, no need for us to stop being who we are.” Naoki tapped a finger lightly against her mask. “ And if we get bored, we could always just go rogue and go back to being a syndicate again. What’s wrong with a little law play for a little bit?”

“ Red tape is so boring.”

“ True. But it’s that or going it alone against one of the Five Fingers. I’d rather play it safe, at least for a year or so til our bounty wears out. No-one’s gonna cross an office affiliated with an association as crazy as Shi. Maybe if it works out, we could even get paid well for assassination jobs.”

“ Heh. Alright. Ya got me hooked.” McCullin grinned. “ Though, if we get offed, I’m taking your head, Taein.”

Chapter Text

“ Customers are talking about that light spire. Seems like it’s big news.” Jack said, tossing some meat into the oven. “ What do you think it’ll rank?”

“ Heh. Who cares?” Pierre shrugged. “If it brings new folk to the district from wherever it is though, all the better for us. Who knows? Maybe we can get a few fresh new ingredients.”

“ Heh. Always the business mogul.” Jack grinned. “ Welp, light or no light, these steaks aren’t gonna cook themselves.”

****************************

“ What in the actual hell is going on? I already know I won't sleep with this light breaking through the curtains. Urgh. Can’t the Hana hurry up and get rid of it.” Lulu huffed.

“ There’s more that matters than your beauty sleep.” Mars told her.

“ Tch. My sleep is what makes me such a good fixer?”

“ So what you’re saying is you don’t have much of it?”

“ Oh, I am going to smash your head in one of these days.”

“ Calm down the both of you.” San sighed. “ I’m sure whatever happened will be fixed sooner or later. Still, it is strange. It’s not like a corporation to make an incident this major. Last one must have been the Smoke War.”

“ You sure it’s a corporation though? Could be some wackjob’s machine or something.” Lulu suggested.

“ Perhaps. I just don’t think anyone outside of the Head’s immediate control would have something that could do something to this level. Well. It doesn’t matter in the end.” San shrugged. “ Just put up with it. If it lasts too long, I can always ask Isadora what’s wrong.”

****************************

“ This is going to be complicated to explain to San.” Isadora sighed. “ Any word from Zwei headquarters yet?”

“ No. But Walter’s been trying every avenue he can to see what’s going on. I’m sure we’ll find out in due time.” Julia told her friend. Isadora clicked her tongue.

“ We’d better. We’re the policing sector. People always come to us when something big like this happens. We have to control the panic otherwise this mess is going to spiral.”

“ I just hope it’s nothing serious. It’s been a long time since anything like this was reported let alone witnessed on such a large scale.”

“ So long as Hana or Liu can get it sorted, all we have to worry about is clean up. We just need to keep everything in order as we always do. I’m not worried about the light. I’m worried about the Syndicates.”

“ Right. I didn’t think about that.” Julia admitted. “ You think one of the fingers will make a big move while the Associations are busy?”

“ Nah. At least not their top brass. I’m more worried about the more… eccentric underlings they have. The Stray Dogs are always a pain in the ass but if more of them try to cause trouble at the same time it could lead to a major incident. We have to prevent that at any cost. After all, how can we call ourselves Your Shield if we let something like that happen under our watch?”

“ Your determination always impresses me, Isadora. Sometimes I wonder if you should be the leader of our sector of Zwei over Walter.”

“ Ha ha. Well, maybe one day.” Isadora smiled.

****************************

“ Ah. Turn that light down. It hurts.” Olga grumbled.

“ We can’t. It’s covering the city.” Mika told her.

“ But this wouldn’t be a problem if you didn’t drink as much as you did.” Rain berated her.

“ Ugh. Go away.” She turned over on the sofa she was sleeping on. “ I’ll drink less tomorrow.”

****************************

“ Message from the higher ups. We’re not to move until they say so.” Zulu said. Geong-Mi growled, burying a fist into his punching bag.

“ Why not?” He asked.

“ Prolly cause they dunno what’s up either.” Dino said. “ They’ve always been cautious.”

“ Psh. I guess. But the Pinky told us to beat down those shit heads from the Killer Syndicate. Why stop now?”

“ The light. We don’t know if it’s dangerous to be out in it and it’s shining all across the city. The boss probably just wants to make sure it’s safe.”

“ Safety. Ha. Sure.” Geong-Mi said dismissively. “ Well, if we can’t do that, maybe we can collect from Walter.”

“ Stay put means stay put, I’m afraid brother.”

“ Tch. None of you are any fun.” Geong-Mi growled as he blew a hole through his punching bag. He clicked his tongue, wiping the blood off his hand. “ Great. Now I need to get another schmuck to practise on.”

Chapter Text

“ Sudden light? Blinding.”

“ Would prefer darkness? Better for silk.”

“ Orders are complete. Where next?”

“ Index territory. Index make good silk?”

“ Index is good friend? Silk from Fixers needed.”

“ Light taste good? Curious.”

****************************

“ Hmm. So the light comes from L Corp’s nest.” Sayo gave a small smile. “ My, such a business venture has landed at our feet.”

“ Heh heh. If I were Index, I’d thank the City.” Yang smirked. “ So, Lady. What’s the plan?”

“ We’ll wait until the Fixers take out whatever new problem is making the light. After that, it’s the usual affair. Step in and… help those poor fools understand their new place in the world. Any word from the Underboss?”

“ Nope. Pretty sure Kalo and the others in the Thumb are figuring it out. Something like this could change the city, after all.” Gin surmised.

“ The power vacuum should be fun to mess with. I’m guessing L Corp had a misfire and imploded. Might as well have our fun til the Head wants the District back. Man, third time in a decade. L Corp certainly changes hands fast, eh?”

“ Who cares about the inner workings of the Wings?” Sayo answered bruskly. “ Get the others ready. Our family might be able to gain some ranks from this venture.”

****************************

“ Mission complete and we’re already at a negative.” Stephan sighed. “ We’re barely going to be able to pay rent this month alongside the ammo restock we need. Maybe we should just give up.”

“ No.” Tamaki shook her head. “ We can’t just give up when something doesn’t go our way. Isn’t that right boss?” The both stopped and turned back to look at Liwei. He’d stopped in the middle of the walkway they were using to cross above the street, light covering him. “ Liwei?”

“ Things will get better.” He said firmly before looking back at them. “ I don’t know why but I just know it. Things will get better. I’m confident of that.”

****************************

Albert wiped his forehead before settling down for the evening. Working for Dante was pretty rough. The Sevens were a tough racket to even enter but he’d made it. He wasn’t really used to the swords. As a stockier fellow, he preferred his weapons heavier. It’s why he always kept a hammer at the ready, just in case things got really bad. But Dante told him he needed to learn. She was tough but she was a good person. She put up with a lot more than she seemed she would. “ Hmm? When did this all start?” He asked, peering out of the window. The entire street was bathed in light.

“ A few hours ago.” One of his co-workers told him. “ Seems like L Corp has blown a gasket and this is the result.”

“ That’s all energy?” Albert asked. His co-worker shrugged.

“ I guess it has to be. No-one really knows how L Corp gathers the stuff. Maybe that’s just the purified form it takes before they ship it out to who knows where. Either way, it’s causing problems already. Look. The sun should be well below the horizon now but it’s like it’s still broad daylight.”

“ Man. I have enough trouble sleeping as is.”

“ Ha ha. I hear ya, man. Hope this thing dies down soon. If not, all the associations will be in damage control mode. Including us.”

“ Hey. Ya make it sound like more pay is a bad thing.”

“ Ha ha. I suppose if you look at it like that it’s fine. I’m more worried about how bad the work’ll be.”

“ One foot in front of the other.” Albert shrugged.

“ Always the optimist. Hey. Some of the guys were gonna head to that new lounge for a drink. You in?”

“ So long as the music ain’t too loud. I don’t enjoy harsh sounds.”

****************************

“ Hmm. That light has been shining for a little bit too long.” Salvador mused, taking a sip of tea.

“ It is rather unusual.” Oscar agreed. “ I’d have expected whatever corporation that has messed up to have solved the problem by now. Damn embarrassing.”

“ I wonder how the young ones are doing on their mission during this.” The Dawn Office got a rather simple mission a few days prior. Due to the nature of it, he and Oscar decided to send their colleagues along as a test of the kind of inter-office teamwork that allowed the older fixers to thrive as well as how they got on without the two of them there to support. That was before the light began shining however. It put Salvador on edge. Oscar however just chuckled.

“ Worried about the kids?” He asked. “ Have a little faith.”

“ Yuna and Philip are both quite talented young fixers. I have faith in their abilities. As I’m sure you do with Pamela and Pameli. However, this light gives me a bad feeling.”

“ Like life is about to get more complicated? I got that feeling as well. I’m sure most older fixers can probably tell that whatever that is, it’s not natural. If it ain’t stopped soon, I’d be willing to believe it was caused purposefully.”

“ But for what purpose?” Salvador hummed. “ Could it be that this light has special properties?”

“ Maybe. Intel gathering is the Dawn Office’s job.”

“ Well, whatever the circumstance, I do hope it’s nothing major. This city is already hard enough without some crazed scientist releasing a pathogen.” Salvador took another sip of his tea thoughtfully. “ All I can hope is that we trained those young ones enough for them to handle it.”

****************************

“ That’s bright.” Dalloc complained. “Glad I didn’t cheap out on optical sensors. I can turn the brightness down. Told you it wasn’t a waste.”

“ Psh. One time to use it in however long you’ve had it seems like a waste to me.” Bono huffed, raising a tentacle to shield his own optical sensor from the light. “ What the hell caused this anyway?”

“ That’s not our job.” Alloc said simply. “ Stay focused.”

“ Yeah, I suppose.” Bono nodded. “ Whatever. Let’s just head indoors. Should be able to get a lock on whatever G Corp is up to from there. Hopefully the light doesn’t fuck with the bugs.”

****************************

“ All your flowers are in bloom. They’re really pretty, Tommy.” Tommy gave a nervous glance away. Merry’s smile was so bright. Or was that the light from outside?

“ What’s going on out there?” Tommy asked.

“ Hmm? Oh. I think it has something to do with a district in the south of the City. It started glowing when I was walking over here.”

“ Are you alright? It could be dangerous.”   

“ Ha ha. Always such the worrywart. I feel as healthy as ever. In fact, I feel better than usual.”

“ That could be a bad sign.”

“ Really. It’s OK, Tommy.” Merry smiled. “ But I appreciate you worrying about me. The City can be a lonely place. Thanks for being there for me.”

“ Ah. I-It’s nothing.” Tommy scratched the back of his head. “ You’re… worth it.”

Chapter Text

“ The light is unnatural.”

“ Is it a threat to the family?”

“ It doesn’t appear so. But it will make our ventures out tricky if it glows over the backstreets at night.”

“ It will help us find children to protect. It can be of help.”

“ I just hope mother will be OK. So long as the Light does not harm her, then I care little about its existence.”

****************************

Yujin sighed as she stared out of the Shi Association’s window at the large pillar of light. “ Trouble.”

“ What was that, Yujin?” Tenma asked, tilting her head.

“ This light. It can only mean trouble.”

“ You think so?”

“ I do. I don’t know why it’s shining or who caused it, but my instincts tell me it’ll only be trouble. We should get ready for the worst. From the direction, I can tell it’s coming from L Corp. How they make their energy is a secret to even the associations and the other companies, but I have heard the rumours.”

“ That they’re draining power from monsters, you mean?” Valentin asked. “ Do you believe those rumours?”

“ Rumours are rumours. I don’t trust them but they have to be sourced from somewhere. If monsters are the source of Lobotomy Corporations power, then it’s possible this light could spread those monsters over the city. If not, it could infect people caught in the light’s rays. Perhaps spread radiation across the city. Just because it looks pretty doesn’t mean it’s safe.” Her hand tightened over an old scar on her left arm. “ I know from experience that looks can be deceiving.”

****************************

“ Now that’s an interesting show, aye lads?” Mi said, taking a deep drag of his pipe.

“ Glittery. Like the style.” Jin clapped their hands happily.

“ Eh. Not me tastes personally. Still, it seems one of those big ole companies has sprung a leak.”

“ Heh heh heh heh. Interesting show this is. Be funny to see how it ends.”

****************************

Noah hummed as he stared up at the light. “ Well, ain’t that something?” He muttered.

“ With how close that is, that has to be coming from L Corp’s nest. What is going over there?” Noah exhaled a plume of smoke at his friend's worries.

“ Don’t know. Don’t really care either. But it is pretty to look at.”

“ You should be careful. You might blind yourself if you look too long.”

“ Ha. Don’t worry about me, Emma. I’ll be fine.” He smirked. Still, there was something about the light. A feeling he couldn’t describe. It felt like it lightened his heavy heart and pulled at dreams he thought he’d long since left in the past. Thoughts of escaping this stuffy life returned to him. His dreams of travelling. They were stupid dreams. Completely infeasible. But they had been his. “ You ever think what the outside is like?”

“ Hmm? What brought this on?”

“ Eh?” He shrugged. “ Passing the time.”

“ Well, I hear the outskirts are full of bizarre creatures that defy all laws of reason. It’s a desolate landscape. Not where I’d want to go for a vacation.” Emma laughed.

“ Yeah. Does seem like a crap hole.” Noah conceded. “ Though… sometimes I just want to leave all of this behind. Look out at a new view from a high place. Maybe a change of atmosphere. Heh. It’s stupid.”

“ I don’t think so. I think it’s a wonderful dream.” Emma smiled.

“ A dream, huh?” Since when did such things exist in this city? It was probably for the best that he left it in the back of his mind where the idea had come from. Even so, the glittering light brought him back to it. He smirked. Maybe, just til his break was over, it was fine to dream.

****************************

Rose sighed as she left the WARP Train. “ Hey. The new girl lost it. Go deal with her.” She barked at some of her subordinates. They nodded and went in. “ Man, I need better people. That’s what we get from recruiting from the Nest. Have to strongly advise we get them from the Backstreets next time. We don’t fuss.”

“ Ha ha. I don't think that itty princess lasted five minutes.” Sen said with a smirk. “ Coming into our office like she was hot shit. Man, that was embarrassing. I’m almost glad we won’t be seeing her again.”

“ Yeah. They’re the worst.” The two stepped out onto the street. Rose had to lower her hat to block out the light. “ Ugh. They still haven’t dealt with that? It’s been shining most of the day already.”

“ Well, if it ain’t stopped now, the higher ups are gonna start complaining. I hear L Corp made a special deal with W Corp to supply energy in return for something else. Think their founder made the same deal with T and R too.”

“ Is that a fact?” Rose hummed. “ Hmm. Baseless rumours. Doesn’t change the fact L Corp supplies energy to the city as a whole. If they go down, it’s going to be a complicated few months until the Head puts a new guy in charge.”

“ Assuming they ever stop this leak.” Sen grumbled. “ How am I ever gonna get any sleep with this thing glowing all over the damn city?” Rose just shrugged.

“ Invest in blackout blinds?”

Chapter Text

“ In light of new developments in L Corp’s nest, the Capo de Capi has issued orders to stop all our operations in Districts 11, 12 and 13 till we can be certain bout the spire of light.” Kalo told his subordinates. “ Dennis. Make sure everybody knows.”

“ Sir!” The man saluted before leaving to relay the orders.

“ Gotta be curious bout what that light is.” Boris mused. “ Any word?”

“ None. Better to leave figuring that out to the Middle or the Ring. Likelihood is that we’ll push in on L Corp’s nest once it’s been confirmed L Corp is outta business. Probably be some competition. Always is.”

“ That’s true. I’ll make sure everyone’s ready, boss. Don’t you worry.”

“ Good. You haven’t let me down before, Boris. Don’t make this a first time.”

“ Sir.” He nodded.

“ Katriel. Make sure to keep an eye on some of the troublemakers under us. The Kurokumo are too ambitious for their own good. Deal with that personally.”

“ As you order.”

“ This is gonna be a turbulent time. I think a lot of people can smell the blood and that’ll attract them like the dogs they are. Doesn’t matter. So long as we remain on top, that’s all that matters. Dismissed.”

****************************

Esther looked down at the prescript Yan was showing him. “To Mister Landon Hale. At work, cut the ear off the first person to fulminate against you.” He read.

“ That sounds pretty straight forward, Yan. Why do you need it checked?” Gloria asked, puzzled.

“ Anything that involves violence usually ends in a lot of panicked questions. I just want to make sure everything is clear. Besides, fulminate isn’t a word you see often.”

“ Understandable.” Esther nodded. “ Tell them that it’s simply the first person who is angry at them. The entire ear must be cut off as well. There’s no time limit so they might want to keep it in mind.”

“ I’ll relay that. Thank you.” Yan nodded.

“ Hold on. That guy's in District 12, right? L Corp’s Backstreets?” Hubert asked

“ That’s right. Why?”

“ We got word that there’s a truce between the other fingers to stay out of there until the situation with the light beam has died down.”

“ Should I wait then?”

“ Why bother?” Gloria shrugged. “ The Prescript should take priority over some silly agreement, right?”

“ I am in agreement. But do be careful, Messenger. The Light may pose a risk.”

“ Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.” Yan nodded before leaving. As soon as he was out of earshot, he stopped and sighed. Gloria was right. This one was entirely straight forward. There was no leeway he could offer this time. What could he even do? He was stuck in this role by force. He tried to help with ones that were like this, but in the end it felt so pointless. He glanced up at the pillar of light. For some reason, it seemed to make his heart feel lighter. Even if he had worries, something about it called to him. Calmed him down. Made him feel that little bit stronger. That’s when a thought came to him. He needed paper. Maybe if he couldn’t offer advice, he could offer an escape instead. He smiled as he headed for District 12. The prescript told him to be a messenger. It never said what message to send nor did it say if the message had to be real. And if a fake prescript could work and save someone, then maybe he could still escape the fate he was given after all.

****************************

Iori chuckled as she stared up at the light. “ Here we go.” She whispered to herself. All the pieces were in place. Now this new tale was about to start. “ Let’s see. Paige Huang has just entered the ruins for her mission. Liu Ye is going about his business as usual. Alexander should have just finished building his office to the right rank to start his little revenge plot. And then there are those two children. Argalia and Roland. Ah, this is going to be fun.” She smirked. She’d seen this play out before, of course. She’d seen many different worlds. 

There was a time where this light would shine for an entire week and the city’s power scale would change. The city would be in turmoil for a short year as those who gained EGO first climbed to the top of the food chain and tried to take advantage of their power as new and more powerful EGO flourished and everyone gained the will to fight. But, in the end, the City would end as it always did. Even EGO would be regulated and brought under the control of the Head and that woman’s dream would fail.

Then there was the history that had already crumbled here. L Corp never realised its goal. Ayin could never get over his past and he and his workers would suffer in turmoil repeating their lives over and over in an ever repeating performance. The wheels of the City would continue to turn with L Corp as a central cog in its machine. It was a rather boring ending, but it was still a way it could play out.

But that was neither of those. She could already tell by how other people had made their moves. She’d seen this one before. Three days and night's the light would shine before suddenly falling dark. Monsters begin appearing in the city over, those people who can’t handle their lives falling prey to their own despair. Meanwhile, those rare few who could get passed their troubles become that much more powerful. Either way, a Library would appear as the source of a mystic fog that covers the L Corp’s nest. This was the world line she was looking for. Iori smirked. She hoped it ended well for both of the main characters this time.

****************************

The sun was setting but the light was just as bright as ever. Xiao folded her arms, staring out of the window of her office at it. It was going to be another late night with reports for Miranae. She had Mei and Miris leading a squad in District 12 to try and find the light’s source but, apparently, the entire centre of the nest was engulfed in light. They couldn’t get an exact source but Miris made an educated guess that it was from L Corp’s Central Branch. “ This is suspicious.” Xiao mused.

“ You think?” Lowell asked from her side. She nodded.

“ If this was just a failure of technology, I’d like to believe L Corp would have fixed the problem by now.” She said, “ Which brings me to the conclusion that this was either intentionally done by one or all three of L Corp’s founders or this light killed everyone inside. Or, worse case, both.”

“ Hmm. I can see your point. I’ve met one of the founders personally during the Smoke War. Benjamin, I think his name was. From what I could tell from the man, he was both serving someone else and had his eyes set on a grander future than the Smoke War. To him, the war was a means to an end. Perhaps this is the same.”

“ Ayin, Benjamin and Carmen. Their names are on the founders list but no-one has ever met Carmen and Ayin is reportedly quiet and cold. Benjamin is essentially the face of the operation, the one who meets with people the most, but in recent years both have vanished too. Much like a lot of people who enter L Corp’s main branch. They don’t seem to leave. I’ve been suspicious of that place but, as a corporation, we can’t stand against them or it’d be like standing against the Head.”

“ Then this was their plan all along?”

“ I can’t say that.” Xiao shook her head. “ But that doesn’t matter at all anymore. Lobotomy corporation does not exist anymore. We should prepare. I have a bad feeling that this is going to end in a lot more trouble no matter if the light ends soon or not.” Xiao closed her eyes and turned her back to the light. “ Prepare for the worst so we’re not under prepared. If an enemy comes to our doorstep, we shall welcome them with open arms. That is the way of the Liu.”

****************************

Bada placed his phone on his desk and sighed. “ Who was that?” Martina asked.

“ My brother. He was wondering if we knew anything about the light. It’s bothering him.”

“ I can imagine. A city wide event like this has to turn eyes. Even from an office as low down as the Streetlight Office.”

“ Yes. This light.” Nemo chuckled. “ I wonder what ventures it will bring in the future? I do so hope it’s worth my time. Ha ha ha.” Bada and Martina gave their boss a strange look. They had come to expect it from him, of course. Nemonitor of the Cane Office always did look for profits in a crisis.

****************************

“ Welp. Guess that’s a lost deal.” Maxim hummed. The Fourth Pack leaders had gathered in their usual bar. Even though it was late, the light behind them gave the impression it was the middle of the day. Despite that, the four had seen worse and took it in stride. Myo sighed.

“ It was a fun gig. They renewed their contract way too fast though. I feel like I was there every month.”

“ Not quite every month. I believe it was once every 6 weeks.”

“ Which is still really strange. But oh well. Least I won’t be seeing that box again. Fucking embarrassment to the Red Mist that thing was.” Myo’s face twisted in anger. “ They took a hero like that and turned her into some scrawny bot who used her voice as a sound box. If it weren’t a job, I’d have torn the thing apart myself.”

“ What was the deal with that place anyway?” Maxim asked. She shrugged.

“ Dunno. The manager could never remember who I was whenever we met and that was only one every two or three meetings. Those things in there gave me the creeps. They had a deal with T and W corp as well. Welp, whatever happened it’s gone now. Wouldn’t be surprised if we were told to clean up the mess.”

“ And if we are, we’ll do the job.” Nikolai said sternly. “ It’s the Fourth Pack’s job to deal with the harsher subjects in this city, after all.”

“ Don’t have to tell me twice.” Myo shrugged. “ Still. I think my biggest regret is that I never fought the Red Mist. In that form, I think I could’ve won.”

“ Don’t waste resources on petty rivalries, Myo.” Myo sighed.

“ Yem.”

Chapter Text

Miranae was troubled. She read through the report that Xiao had just sent through. “ I was right. It’s L Corp. Which means we can assume it was an internal rig.”

“ The founders of Lobotomy Corporation planned this?” Olivier raised an eyebrow. “ That’s concerning.”

“ That’s speculation. Personally, I think they misjudged the power of this thing. Just like the rest of the Singularities of the Corporations, how L Corp runs things is secret. However, it’s possible that this light was the energy they created. Hmm. On second thoughts, I actually don’t believe that.”

“ Then it’s a by-product of L Corp’s operations.” Oliver concluded with a nod. “ I see.”

“ Yes. I’d say that’s most likely. It’s possible that Ayin and his subordinates were testing this new substance. Perhaps as a new source of energy. In doing so, they accidentally caused a reaction that ended in the light spire.”

“ An interesting theory. I suppose we’ll never quite know what happened however.”

“ No. We won’t.” Miranae nodded. “ Well, I may have a mission for you in the coming weeks. If L corp’s main branch has indeed fallen, then its sub branches won’t be far behind. One of them is in most if not all of the city's districts. I want you to give a few a check. You and Harold will lead the operation.”

“ Hmm. That’s unknown territory.” Oliver mused. “ May I hire outside help?”

“ Sure. I trust you. Though, who do you have in mind?”

“ For this mission? I’d say a few of my old friends could be useful. Astolfo has claimed the title Ruin Hunter for all of his jobs in the crypts. Naimon has always had a keen eye when it comes to these sorts of things. And I’d like to see if Angelica and Roland would lend a hand. Though I know Angelica is pregnant, so I’m not sure if they’d be willing.”

“ Hmm. No harm in asking.” Miranae nodded. “ Having a colour help out would be a boon to our forces. I doubt anything too bad will come of this. But, just to be sure, it’s best to exercise caution. After all, this light is an unknown. I just hope any trouble it causes will be minor.”

****************************

Pameli groaned as the morning came. “ It’s still there?!” She exclaimed. “ Come on? Seriously.”

“ Calm down. They’ll do their jobs eventually.” Her younger sister retorted calmly. “ We have our own mission.”

“ I know. But it’s just a stakeout. Perhaps they aren’t moving cause of this stupid beacon.”

“ In that case, we’ll just have to get a bit more forceful in our search.” Yuna told the sisters. “ Master Salvador advised against it, but at this rate we’ll have no other choice. Philip. How did scouting go during the night?” Yuna turned back. Philip was staring at the pillar. She sighed. This wasn’t the first time she’d caught him doing that. “Philip!”

“ Ah. S-Sorry, Seon-bae. No movements at all. The Saw Blade Syndicate is lying low. As a Thumb affiliate, I assume they may have been ordered too. This is strange behaviour if the locals are to be believed.”

“ They aren’t well defended either.” Pamela said. “ I don’t think they’re expecting to move anywhere. It’s like their operations have just stopped. Perhaps it has to do with being in a neighbouring district to where the Light is coming from?”

“ I’d think that’s a safe bet.” Yuna nodded. “ In that case, we should prepare to engage on our terms.”

“ We can take their leaders out in a surprise attack then.” Pameli nodded. “ So long as you Dawn Office guys can keep up.”

“ Of course we can.”    

“ You, I can trust. Him though? Make sure he’s not blind from staring at the light for too long.” Philip just gave a nervous laugh. He couldn’t really help himself. There was something in the light that pulled him to it. Something in his heart and mind that resonated with it. Part of him was surprised that Yuna and the sisters from Wedge couldn’t feel it. Perhaps it was how Salvador had taught him, but it stuck in his mind. Like some kind of unsolved mystery. The light was special but he felt like he was missing pieces to fully answer why that was. But now wasn’t the time to think about that.

“ Sorry. I’m fine.” He reassured them. “ Let’s begin the operation.”

****************************

Eileen was worried about her father. He was spending far too long in his laboratory. He’d been like this for a while. Ever since her mother died a year ago he’d gotten further and further into his research. For her own part, she was busy too. Studying for her finals at school and hanging out with her friends. Even so, it was always so depressing to come home to an empty house. He was obsessed, she was sure of that. Whenever he was home, he kept muttering about gears. She wanted him to see someone about it but he was in adamant refusal that anything was wrong.

“ Hmm. Still there.” Eileen muttered as she leaned on the rail of her apartment’s balcony. She spent a few moments just staring at it, resting her head on her arms. She was half a city away so the light wasn’t as harsh as it could have been. Instead, it was somewhat comforting. It made her feel like there was hope. She sighed. Maybe, one day, a knight would take her away from all her heartache and give her a better life. Til then, all she could do was keep trying to help in whatever ways she could. Her father asked her to come down to his lab when his experiment was ready. She just hoped helping him test it would help him come back to his sanity.

****************************

Greta grumbled as she drummed her hands against the bar counter. “ What’s wrong, Greta? Hungry?”

" Bored more like. People should’ve been here by now.” She complained.

“ I guess that lights got ‘em scared. Shame that.” Lestor shrugged. “ Well, guess we’ve got to bide some time. I hear Conchita is thinking of taking a lump of her arm off and seeing how she tastes.”

“ Gaw haw haw. You’re joking?” Greta grinned, flashing her shark-like teeth. “ That idiot.”

“ What? Not curious how ya taste?”

“ I mean, sure. But the way Conchita goes she’ll not wanting to stop eating. She’ll chew herself til she’s nowt but a tongue and a set of dentures.”

“ Ha ha ha. True. Very true. But she did say something that resonated with me. Who else will know the taste of one who has mastered food?” Greta rolled her eyes.

“ Seriously Lestor. If that’s what you idiots wanna do, go for it. But don’t expect me to swallow myself. After all, if I did that, I couldn’t savour whatever new tastes that light may bring.”

****************************

Theo yawned as he looked at the light through the mall’s sky light. “ Still goin strong, it is.” He drawled.

“ Yup.” Krel snickered. “ How fuckin long is that shit gonna go for? I’m getting antsy.”

“ You get antsy without a job anyway, Krel.” Mio shrugged. “ Speaking of, when’s the next gig? We’re running out of money.”

“ It’ll come when it comes. Ain’t nothing we can do bout that, is there?” Theo said.

“ We always make do. No need for complaints.” Bow grumbled. “ Come on. Let’s get back to the office. Maybe we’ll have a job waitin when we get there.”

****************************

Oswald shouted as he was roughly tossed into the back alley. “ And stay out, ya damn clown.” The bar’s bouncer said, dusting off his hands and heading back in. Oswald groaned as he stood up.

“ Such uncouth violence.” He groaned. He placed a hand on the wall to steady himself and headed off into the backstreets. Just another group of people who couldn’t see the value of laughter is all. He wanted to make people smile and forget their troubles. For some reason, these people had forgotten about that. The City was a blight. It drained people of their joy and dreams. Was he a clown? Maybe. But he’d rather be a clown than a drone. One day he’d find it. People who were like him. People who abandoned such stupid notions like expectations and greed. Perhaps they could make a circus of dreams together. He let out a loud, hearty laugh as he entered life. He stared up at it. “ Open the curtains. Lights on” He sang, spinning slowly. “ Hmm hmm hmm. Now can you love everything too for me?”

****************************

“ Ma’am.” Tanya looked up at the Rumanos Cartel goon who was saluting at her. “ The boss says not to move.”

“ The fuck? Why?” She slammed her whiskey glass down on the table. The man swallowed.

“ T-The order comes from higher up. W-W-With all the t-turmoil in District 12 right now-”

“ Fuck that. We ain’t even operating in there? Grk. What the fuck are those Thumb chucklefucks thinking? We’ve been planning this raid for months and now we can’t move cause those cowards are scared? Don’t tell me Raigh signed off on this?”

“ Sorry ma’am.” She huffed, falling back on the box she was using a seat. She was the Rumanos Cartel’s enforcer. She couldn’t go around trashing things. Sure, she could trash the Saw Blades on her own. Fuckers were weak and this was just to use them as an example. If she lost her kill, she swore she’d strangle Raigh. She downed the rest of her glass and lit her pipe. She caught sight of the light through a crack in the ceiling. She narrowed her eyes at it. The fuck was she even here for? She was strong enough alone.

“ Whatever. Tell him I ain’t happy about it but I’ll stand by. But we better get hunting soon.” The man saluted and practically ran from the room like he was trying to escape a starving wolf. She sighed, taking another drag from her pipe. Weakling.

****************************

Deep in a lab in District 8, Jae-heon hadn’t even heard of the light. He was too focused on his own goals. The Middle were backing his project. He knew they were just in it to weaponize whatever tool he came up with. The idea of resurrection was too enticing a prospect to ignore. Jae-Heon was close. He was so, so close. One more breakthrough, he told himself. He just needed one more breakthrough. One more and he’d do it. One more and he’d get his son back. One more. That was it. He’d stay with this job as long as it took. One month. One year. Ten years. He had to keep at it. One day, he told himself. He’d be able to hug his son again. One day.

****************************

Elena hissed as she peered out from her hiding place in District 23, a house she’d taken from a younger couple that had found her when she was at her most vulnerable, and immediately headed back in. She didn’t like that light. In all her years, she hadn’t ever felt something so unnatural. So wrong. Elena had lived a long hundred years. It hadn’t been as long as other Bloodfiends. There was an old hag that ran an inn who had been around since the City was founded, or so she claimed. She liked to think though, with how short the regular mortal folk of the City lived, she had good experience with strange things. Especially with how many Singularities had become public domain following the fall of their respective wing. But that energy. That light. It was just wrong. Even when she so much as looked at it, she felt off. Like a searing gaze had fallen on her. As a monster herself, she knew something that didn’t belong. She collapsed back onto her stolen bed and winced in pain. Years later and the scars still remained. “ Masked Man. Black Silence.” She muttered. “ I’ll get my revenge on the both of you one day. For forcing me into this state.”

****************************

“ Read the fine print. Read the god damn fine print.” Pluto muttered before taking a swing of his glass. Those words. Those damn words spoken from a faceless demon. Those words ruined his life. He was once a great fixer of a well renowned contract office. But now? He was at rock bottom. His reputation was in ruins. He spent what little money he had on drink. At least the Index didn’t ask for rent. He staggered outside and was immediately struck by the blinding light. He covered his eyes. “ The fuck? This shit’s still here. Ugh.” He grumbled. This was one weird light source. It made him feel weird when he was so close to it. It seemed to resonate with his desire for revenge. In his drunken state, he just snickered as he stumbled down the backstreets. Well, if it could help, who was he to turn down? Not like anyone else was there for him anymore. He could only really blame one person for that.

****************************

Argalia raised his hands into a picture motion as he sat on the outskirt wall of Y Corp’s nest, staring up as the light illuminated the night sky. “ My. It is picturesque.” He said with a chuckle. Even still, Argalia wasn’t an idiot. Some thought he was creepy and his brother in law outright called him a sicko and maybe he could agree with them on some level, however he wasn’t an idiot. Something was going on with that thing. He couldn’t really figure out what though. The light was interesting. It tugged at something inside of him. A deep and buried part of him it was trying so desperately to drag to the surface from the core of his being. But what? Argalia had to think about that answer.

He came to a conclusion, from a long series of internal debate spent talking to others and gazing at the light for the last two and a half days, that the answer to that question was desire. The light took people who still hadn’t had their hopes, dreams and wishes squashed and silenced by the city and brought them to the forefront. It gave them the will to succeed, pushing them onwards towards their goals. But for what purpose? If this were a performance, where would find the Coda? The end point? The goal of it’s creator?

The Light came from L Corp’s nest. It didn’t seem like an accident that it had appeared either. It was sudden, yes, but the fact it hadn’t stopped yet pointed to it having a purpose. Did it’s creator wish for other to dream again? Did it wish to help others escape the hopeless darkness with a bright and heavenly glow? Argalia smirked. If this light were to empower the peoples hopes, then it wouldn’t work. He saw the creator of this light as an idealist. A fool but one with a pull. For such power to present itself for such a long period of time, this fool must have had this planned for a long time. It was a grand display but ultimately meaningless. But, if this light was a source of power, it did make Argalia wonder. “ I do wonder, fool of L Corp. How many will be inspired by your concerto? And what will that inspiration bring? I look forward to finding the answer to that question as well. I do hope it will be a worthy encore to these bright night's however. Ha. I can’t help but quiver in anticipation.”

****************************

“ The light’s power is waning. Not by itself however. There is a force interfering. Likely from within Lobotomy Corporation.” Luda exclaimed.

“ So the show is over already? I must say. I was starting to enjoy it.” Zena chuckled.

“ Or did you perhaps want to end it manually.” Baral asked. Zena just smiled and let out a sigh.

“ Maybe. After all, I did always wonder what happened to my dear mentor when she vanished into that dingy lab that sprouted L Corp a decade ago. Ah well. It’s not like this is over.”

“ Correct.” Luda confirmed. “ Energy from the Light has been detected all across the city. Even should it stop prematurely, the adverse effects have already begun.”

“ Seems your show isn’t over quite yet, Zena.” Baral said in an unamused tone. Zena’s smile widened.

“ And what a wonderful show it’s going to be. Don’t disappoint me, waning Star of the City.”

Chapter Text

When the light vanished, it was like the whole world plunged into darkness. Roland watched it fade from his kitchen window. “ It’s over.” He said with a slight sigh. “ Welp, guess Miranae finally figured out what the hell was going on. Took her long enough.”

“ She tries her best. You know that.” From the kitchen table, his wife Angelica just smirked. “ What do you think caused it?”

“ Probably some company’s singularity going rogue. Probably the end for L corp.” He shrugged. “ Honestly, I couldn’t really care. So long as it isn’t going to cause us any problems. So long as you and Lucy are safe, that’s all I care about.”

“ Aw. Such a charmer.” Angelica teased. She rubbed her stomach. Roland had to admit. His wife didn’t look 7 months pregnant. She was rounder and certainly more disagreeable at time, but she’d kept her carefree manner during these times, hard as they were. Just so long as they stayed that way. He could live with that. His phone buzzing in his pocket took him out of the moment. “ Who’s that?”

“ Hmm?” He raised an eyebrow. “ It’s Olivier. Says he has a job for us.”

“ You mean you. Do I look like I’m in any state to go crawling through some old ruin looking for some syndicate that wronged some wing member’s pet canary or whatever?” Roland just laughed. He asked for more details and got a quick message back.

“ Seems Astolfo and Naimon are part of the job.” He mused. “ Looks like Olivier is getting the gang back together on this one. Seems I was right though. He’s got orders to search L Corp’s side branches. Place must’ve come down due to that light show.”

“ Go on then. Go play with your friends.”

“ You sure? I can turn him down.”

“ It’s fine. Take my gloves. They haven’t been used in forever. Besides, Durandal is still in it from the last mission we did. God, that was a good few months back now wasn’t it? You could have carried it?”

“ My arm was broken after that creepy science experiment of the Middle brought a building down on me. Don’t blame me.”

“ Such a big baby. Hee hee. Careful. Lucy’s going to out mature you.”

“ Geez.” He sighed before laughing. “ I’ll only go if you’re sure.”

“ I’m positive. Go. I’ll be fine.” Angelica said, shaking her head in amusement. “ You’re so protective. There’s a reason we moved here. Lowest crime rates. Besides, who’s going to mess with a colour fixer? I can beat down people pregnant with my bare hands.”

“ I’m leaving you Mors just in case.”

“ Fine.” She sighed. “ It was my brother’s baby shower present. I should get some use out of it if I need to.”

“ I still don’t know who gets someone an electrified Odachi as a baby shower gift. You’re brother’s a god damn wierdo.”

“ I think it’s endearing, personally.” Roland sent a text to Olivier and went to collect his mask and his wife's gloves from a draw in their living room. It wasn’t the first time he’d pretended to be the Black Silence. Due to his wife and his shared love of suits and the mask he wore distorting people's awareness, it was pretty easy to pretend he was the Black Silence while his wife was suffering from one of the many sicknesses that came from preparing to give birth. He summoned his wife's newest weapon and left it on the counter. “ Good luck with whatever Olivier wants.”

“ Stay safe.” Roland told her.

“ Worry more about yourself. Come back to me safe and alive, you hear?”

“ Ha ha. Yes Ma’am.”

“ Good boy.” Angelica winked. Roland smiled and waved, before heading out on his mission, wondering how he managed to get lucky enough to marry someone that incredible.

A week later, a Piano could be heard across the city, echoing from District Nine.