Elsewhere in the city, a heavy wooden door swung open into a pitch-black high-rise apartment.
Jake stepped inside, unzipping his black leather jacket and tossing it onto the leather sofa. He reached for the light switch, but left the room shrouded in shadow.
"How did it go?" Jake asked, his voice low and raspy.
In the dark corner of the room, Chris sat leaning back in an armchair, his surgical mask resting on the glass table beside him. The moonlight filtering through the blinds left his face half-hidden in the gloom.
"The sports day...? Well, it was actually pretty fun," Chris said, swirling a glass of water.
Jake walked over to the floor-to-ceiling glass window, looking down at the endless lines of red and white headlights flowing through the night cityscape below.
Chris tilted his head. "By the way... where were you?"
Jake stared out at the city as his mind drifted back to his secret rendezvous with John Levi earlier that evening...
As Jake walked out, John Levi called,
"Mr. Jake..."
Jake stopped, but didn't look back.
"I think we should help each other," John Levi said, a smooth, calculated smile across his face.
Jake remained silent, his shoulders motionless.
"Help each other?" Jake asked flatly.
John Levi nodded, taking a few slow steps forward.
"I know why you worked for Murphy," John Levi said.
Jake turned his head slightly, his sharp side-profile catching the light.
"Shall we speak further?" John Levi offered, his smile widening.
"Mr. Jake... let's help each other."
Back in the present, Jake blinked, bringing his focus back to the sprawling skyline.
"John Levi," Jake said simply.
Chris let out a dry, quiet laugh. "So you actually went to meet him. I thought he would be scared."
Jake didn't answer, continuing to stare down at the moving traffic below.
"So, what did he want?" Chris asked.
"An alliance," Jake replied, slipping his hands into his coat pockets.
"An alliance? That's remarkably bold of him," Chris mused, resting his chin on his palm. "Why would he ask for that?"
"You don't want to know," Jake said softly.
Chris nodded in defeat. "Fine, fine. But... did you accept?"
Jake gave no response.
Chris nodded slowly, reading the silence.
"On a side note," Chris added, shifting his posture, "I competed against Ethan today."
Jake gave a slight tilt of his head. "How did it go?"
"He's just a rookie," Chris scoffed, shaking his head. "Needs a lot of work."
"Anyway," Chris continued, he stood up and reached for a drawer, and pulling out a faded photograph. "I found this old picture..."
He stood up, walked over to the window, and held out the photo. Jake took it.
The image showed two young men in high school uniforms standing side by side. One had dark, messy black hair, while the other had striking, white hair. Because of the dim lighting in the original photo, their facial features were obscured in shadow—only their hair colors and uniforms were clearly visible.
Jake stared intently at the photo, his eyes lingering on the black-haired boy.
"Are those students?" Chris asked, leaning against the glass frame. "Judging by the blazer collar, it looks like an old Academy uniform."
Jake didn't answer. He handed the photo back without a word, his gaze shifting right back to the endless stream of cars below.
Chris picked up on the sudden shift in atmospheric pressure, quietly sliding the photo back inside the drawer and sitting back down.
"Is there anything else?" Jake asked quiet.
Chris's expression turned serious. "Yeah. I heard that the Shadow Syndicate is mobilizing against Loop. They're planning an attack to wipe Loop off the board."
Jake gave a single, slow nod, letting the news sink into the quiet room.
The Next Morning.
The morning air was crisp as Ethan stood near the main entrance plaza, checking his watch. He was the first to arrive at the designated meeting spot before their group trip to the local aquarium.
"Ethan!" a voice called out.
Ethan turned to see Alice walking up the paved pathway. She was dressed up nicely in a pastel skirt and a light cardigan, a jacket on top, her hair styled neatly.
Alice really went all out for Lucas today, Ethan thought with a silent nod of approval.
"Where are the others?" Alice asked, looking around the quiet plaza.
"They should be here any minute," Ethan replied.
Alice nodded and took a seat on a nearby wooden bench, while Ethan leaned against a lamppost.
"Hey," a familiar voice greeted.
Lucas strolled into the plaza, hands in his pockets.
"Lucas, you're here!" Alice said, standing up with a warm smile. "Now it's just Madison we're waiting for."
Lucas glanced over at Ethan. "Where is she?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "How am I supposed to know?"
"I thought she'd be coming with you," Lucas said.
"Why?" Ethan countered. "She gave me the time and place, I came on my own."
Lucas shook his head with a smirk. "You really aren't a great boyfriend, are you?"
Ethan's heart gave a sudden, violent thud against his ribs, but he forced his face to remain completely deadpan. "Hey... we are not together."
Lucas raised an eyebrow, inspecting Ethan's expression with hawk-like precision. "Oh really? Because remember last time when Madison held onto Alberto's sleeve for like two seconds? You were staring literal daggers at Alberto's skull."
What the hell, Lucas?! Ethan screamed internally, his mind racing into panic.
We are here to get YOU and ALICE together today, not me and Madison!
Ethan cleared his throat, waving a hand dismissively. "No, it—it wasn't like that at all. You're imagining things."
"Is he?" Alice chimed in, smiling warmly. "Ethan, you two get along so well. Honestly, from an outsider's perspective, it really does look like you two are a couple."
Before Ethan could formulate a coherent defense, a frantic voice cut through the plaza.
"Guys! I'm so sorry I'm late!"
They turned to see Madison sprinting toward them, holding onto her sunhat. She was wearing a light cream summer dress that caught the morning breeze, her hair flowing freely across her shoulders.
She looks... really beautiful, Ethan thought automatically.
WHAT THE HELL, BRAIN?! Ethan mentally slapped himself, shaking his head to clear the thought. Get it together!
"Alright, now that everyone's here," Lucas said cheerfully, gesturing down the avenue, "let's head to the aquarium."