Ray – Friday, 1:00pm.

Dev sent: BAKERY_HELL.vid.

“raw footage. don't mind me whimpering and freaking out lol,” Skye – under the moniker Dev – typed as he sent the video file through to his group chat with Saviour_Blue and fucktowntyrant; evidently, Ray got bored of the name I FUCK THE MUSIC.

“He showed me earlier. Spoiler, the monster's hot,” Saviour_Blue wrote in reference to when they met up with Skye and watched the video from his phone.

“if by hot you mean terrifying,” Dev replied.

“No, I definitely meant hot.”

Ray silently downloaded the video as his two friends bickered about the monster's attractiveness. As soon as it finished downloading, he played the video.

Plain as day, the monster craned down and leered into the bakery. Then the hand crept down towards the door handle, and Skye dropped the camera. Ray skimmed through the rest of the video, and it was all black except for the very end when Skye turned the camera off.

“shit cunt,” Ray typed into the chat. “monster IS hot.”

“Oh my god, a monster stalks me at work and you guys think it's sexy,” Dev wrote.

“it is,” both Saviour and Tyrant replied at the same time, followed by “ASDSBJGHBNV” from Saviour barely a second afterwards.

Dev posted a snapshot of the monster's face, taken from the video. “Any of you have any idea what or who this thing is?”

“nah” Tyrant replied.

“About as much as I knew when I met you in the subway,” Saviour answered.

“Damn,” Dev typed in response.

“Hey! How's it going?” Gyroloop suddenly greeted Ray from the hallway behind the computer table.

“Eh. Same old. Got something interesting here though.”

“Oh?” Gyroloop walked up behind Ray and began gently massaging his shoulders, peeking over him to see what had caught Ray's attention.

“Yeh. Check this out.” Ray opened the bakery video from Skye. “Know my friend Skye?”

“You've mentioned him, yes.”

“He took this at work yesterday.” Ray maximized the video and pressed play.

“Hey, it's Skye,” the video narration began as Skye briefly described what was happening. It showed the front of the bakery for several seconds until the white face of the monster leaned down from above, looking straight inside the building.

Gyroloop gasped. “Wait, Ray, pause it! Pause it on that thing's face.”

“'Kay.” Ray rewound the video.

Gyro stopped massaging Ray's shoulders and stepped beside him, looking extra close at the screen. “Oh... oh god...”

Ray laughed. “Seen a ghost, bud?”

Gyro staggered back and shook his head.

“Yo... you good?” Ray asked, uncharacteristically concerned.

“Aha, well... Ray... that thing... um... it's...”

“Spit it out, man.”

Gyro put a hand on their “chin” (or, the bottom of their camera lens). “Um... Ray, this is... I-I need a moment.” He suddenly walked back down the hallway and into his room.

“...Loops?”

Something was wrong. Ray had spent plenty of time with Gyro watching horror flicks and scary videos together. Not once had he ever reacted like this.

Ray got up from his seat and slowly walked down the hall to his room, where Gyro was lying down on the bed.

“That... too much?” Ray asked. “Sorry bud.”

“No, it's just...” Gyro synthesized a deep breath of air. “Your friend is in danger. Serious and immediate danger.”

Ray sat down next to Gyro. “Explain.”

“I'm... bottom line is... I think I know who that is.”

“Who? Who is it?”

“I've... I've heard rumours about it. I think it might be one of those volons. But I-I... I don't know for sure, I could be wrong...”

Gyro's frantic attempts at denying what he'd just said told Ray more than he needed to know. He didn't buy the “rumours” explanation either, but he also didn't want to exacerbate Gyro's already shaky mood.

“How is Skye in danger?” Ray asked, attempting to keep a calm tone. “That thing gonna come back?”

“Yes, it's... persistent. If it is who I think it is, it is very persistent and dangerous. And if Skye survived an encounter with it, it will most definitely be returning for a second visit.”

Ray looked down at Gyro. “You sure?”

“I... I can't be 100% sure, but um... chances are, yes, I am pretty sure, I think...”

Aside from his metallic head, Gyro's body was ghostly pale. How he knew all this was beside the point – Ray figured it was something to do with Gyro's position at Maroon, and that was a conversation for another day.

Bottom line: Ray's friend was in danger. And if there was one thing Ray had confidence in, it was solving practical problems.

“I'll take care of this.” Ray stood up.

“W-wait, what are you going to do?” Gyro stammered, leaning up to look at Ray.

“Scout the area. Plan out a patrol for later. Maybe see if that thing shows up.”

“If... it... does...?”

“Fuck it up.”

Gyro drew in a “breath” of air before humming in concern.

Ray walked to the opposite side of the room, over to the very securely locked closet. Two combination locks prevented any entry, and only he knew how to unlock them.

Of course, the flimsy wooden door could easily be broken into if someone really wanted to; they were largely there to deter snoopy guests.

The first was a simple rotating dial lock, which took him a couple seconds to spin around and unlock. The second was a much more high tech lock that featured a tiny keypad and a screen that asked for a six digit combination.

Ray looked back at Gyro, who was still lying on the bed, but watching with intense curiosity.

“Guess I never told you what's in here,” Ray said.

“...No, I don't think you have. But... something tells me I know now.” Gyro's eye remained fixated on the closet.

“No recording, bud.” Before opening the door, Ray double checked to make sure the small red light on Gyro's head was not on, indicating that he was recording whatever he was looking at.

“O-of course, of course.”

The door opened to reveal an array of guns, ammunition, and relevant accessories. The wall had a pair of machine guns and hunting rifles mounted and in pristine condition, while the floor had a series of handguns, tasers, mace, and a few miscellaneous attachments off to the side, like scopes and silencers.

“W... wow.” Gyroloop almost sounded scared.

“Don't go tellin' anyone.”

“Of course not! That's just... uh... wow.”

Ray looked down at the pistols on the floor. He'd need something small and discreet for a scouting mission – a Kinrod-56 loaded with a 12 bullet magazine would do the trick. Sleek and small enough to hide beneath a coat, but it still sported a level of stopping power Ray felt comfortable with.

“I just want to know... are we in danger?” Gyro asked.

“Hm?”

“Like, with all those guns. Nobody's going to come looking for us, are they?”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Nah. Not involved in risky business like that.” Ray loaded the Kinrod as he spoke. “Guns are a lot simpler than other black markets. No strings attached.”

Gyro didn't look particularly reassured. “O-okay. If you say so.”

“Yeh. We're fine. Gonna be okay while I'm out?”

“Um, yeah, I think so. It's... all just a bit overwhelming. Your friend encountering that thing, and... all those guns...”

Ray looked down at the bed Gyro laid upon. “Didn't think about that. My bad.”

“It's okay! I'll just need a few minutes to compose myself here.”

“Good man.” Ray walked out of the room, back into the living area. He closed the laptop and looked around for his coat, which was sitting on the back of the couch. His wallet and keys were on the kitchen counter, and with that, he mentally tallied up everything he'd need.

Yeh. Good to go.

He didn't feel perfectly comfortable leaving Gyro alone in his current state, but Ray felt it important to investigate the area before nightfall, when the creature would supposedly be coming back to give Skye a visit.

I'll give him some TLC when I get back.

“Hey, Ray...” Gyro stepped out of the hallway, much to Ray's surprise.

“Mmm?” Ray turned to face him.

“I changed my mind. I want to come with you.”

Ray visibly recoiled. “What? You were just shitting yourself a minute ago.”

“I know. But it's midday. There will be people around, and knowing you, well... I know you're strong. If anything happened, you would protect us.”

“Yeh. What if we do find that thing?”

“Well... that would be scary, but, we could get away, right? If you're armed...”

“We ain't gonna be running from it. It's gonna be running from me.” Ray holstered his handgun beneath his coat. “I ain't stoppin' you, Loops. Just don't want you freaked if I do find that fucker.”

Gyroloop looked down to the side. “When are you leaving?”

“Now. Can take a minute if you need.”

“Okay. Thanks...” Gyro sat down on the couch and looked back up to the ceiling. “I'm not exactly... feeling adventurous, it's just really important, if that thing is who I think it is, that I know for certain. Score brownie points with Soma, maybe.”

Ray hesitated at the mention of Soma. “You're gathering intel for Maroon?” His voice took on a gruff tone.

“As far as I'm aware, the identity of that person is all I – or, Maroon – would care about. Nothing else, and especially nothing about you. Whatever Maroon wants with it, it doesn't involve you. It's more of an internal issue.”

“Mmm. Good. Don't need no corps readin' me.”

Gyro forced a chuckle. “You chose a pretty bad boyfriend, then!” He tapped his camera-head.

Ray laughed too. “Yeh, guess so. Well, get ready, bud.”

Gyro's company altered his plan a bit – icing a monster wasn't something he was keen to do with his boyfriend around, so he planned on sticking to just scouting the area for a patrol route.

----------------------------------------

“yo.” Ray messaged Skye from his phone, roughly 15 minutes away from the bakery.

“hey,” Skye replied a few seconds later.

“im scouting velvet right now”

“oh shit? Like, checking for that thing?”

“yep.”

“dude... thank you! Please be careful though.”

“yep”

Gyro pulled Ray's attention away from his phone. “I don't think I've actually seen Velvet crumble before.”

“High end shit... maybe. Sure looks expensive.”

“Ooh, sounds nice.”

“Yeh.”

Gyro hadn't yet shown any signs of trepidation. Ray chalked that up to the bustling streets giving him a level of comfort in anonymity, but that was just a guess. Whatever the reason was, he was glad he didn't have to “babysit” Gyro, for lack of a less condescending term.

Time passed quickly as they navigated through the flocks of pedestrians, until they were just beside Velvet Crumble.

“Oh wow, this place really is beautiful!” Gyro sounded excited.

The inside looked perfectly normal: two staff members behind the counter puttering about, a couple people sitting in the small yet elegant lounge, and someone at the till buying some baked goods; nothing at all to hint there was a strange encounter here just last night.

“Down here,” Ray directed Gyro. He walked away from the storefront and into the nearest alleyway, leading to another smaller crossroad up ahead.

Although all the streets were generally dark given Lower Miyatama's position below another city, the alleys were often darker and quieter than the main roads, shrouded from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

Ray walked into it with a brisk pace, but Gyro had slowed a bit.

“You good?” Ray asked.

“Yeah. Just takes me a bit to get adjusted to places like these.”

Ray grunted in acknowledgment and continued on, but not before waiting until Gyro was by his side.

Compared to the clean sidewalks outside Velvet Crumble, the nearby alley was filthy. Scraps of paper and shreds of plastic bags were caked into the concrete below, while dumpsters and graffiti lined the sides of the nearby buildings. The two even encountered a homeless boombox-remite not too far in, feebly pushing a shopping cart filled with garbage bags containing who knows what.

“Damn...” Gyro muttered once he was sure the other remite was out of earshot. “I don't think I like this place too much,” he said with a hint of jest.

“Yeh. Not so nice in these parts.”

“Although... hmm...!” Gyro suddenly hummed with courage and determination. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Maybe I can do something to help...”

Not a moment later, he spun around and power-walked back to the other remite. Ray stopped and watched.

Over in the distance, they had a brief exchange of words before Gyro reached into his wallet and pulled out, presumably, some money before handing it over. The remite tramp shook Gyro's hand, bowed, and they even hugged – despite Gyro looking slightly surprised and awkward about it. They then parted ways, and Gyro walked back over to Ray.

“Feeling good?” Ray asked.

“Yes!” Gyro was very chipper. “I hope she gets back on her feet someday.”

“How much you give her?”

“1,000 srakna.”

Ray grunted. “Cutie.”

“Ohh, come on...” Gyro playfully waved a hand at Ray as they continued walking along. “It's not like I'm poor. Maroon, for all its faults, does pay pretty well...”

“Guess so, huh.”

Ray and Gyro soon entered a junction in the alley – ahead of them was another lane of similar quality, while to their left and right was a small road with a few people walking to and fro. It was one of the rare side streets that actually gave the impression of daytime, positioned beneath a strip of functioning skylights from the underside of the city above.

“If I was some freaky motherfucker...” Ray thought aloud, “where would I hide out?”

“There's always the chance it's not from around here,” Gyro added.

Ray led Gyro down the well lit lane, planning to scour the surrounding area for locations where a huge creature could lie in wait.

“If it's as persistent as you said... doubt it'd chill too far,” Ray replied.

“If it's who I think it is.”

“Don't buy it, Loops,”

“Huh?”

“I ain't seen no giant monster fuck in my life in this city 'til now. What do you mean you might know who it is? Motherfucker's pretty unique.”

Gyro didn't respond, at least for a handful of seconds. “Um... yeah.”

Ray looked at him.

“I've... seen a few of them. Not in Miyatama, but... elsewhere.” He sounded very unsure.

After a moment of consideration, Ray looked forward again. He did know Gyro's job took him places – it was the reason he was in Miyatama – and Ray had never been to Era, the city in which Gyro primarily lived and worked.

However, his demeanor puzzled Ray. He'd seemed fine just prior to mentioning he'd seen more than one of those creatures.

“You know more,” Ray declared.

“Umm...”

“C'mon, Loops. Don't hold out on me. This shit's important.” Ray turned left down another nondescript alley, prompting Gyroloop to do the same.

“...You said Miyatama is, well... lax on surveillance, right?” Gyro asked.

“Compared to the shit you told me about Era's cameras riding your ass 24/7, yeh. You ain't gonna find any of that in this place either.” Ray extended a hand towards the entirety of the alley they both found themselves in.

Once again, Gyro hesitated before speaking. “I don't know... I mean, yes, I do know some stuff that might be relevant, but I also know how much you hate Maroon. I figured it would be best just to pipe down about it. It's... it's not really anything that would help, per se, it's more of an... origin story sort of deal? If that makes sense?”

“We got time. Try me.”

“And... you're sure there's no big brother listening in on us right now?”

“Only see one camera.” Ray tapped the side of Gyro's head with the back of his hand.

“Fair, yes... that's... fair.” He began explaining his theory about the identity of the strange creature – about how he thought it was one of the “volons” mentioned on the news after the attack on Maroon's branch in Miyatama. He recited what he'd told Wrench when they'd first met in Ray's flat: the murmurs of “Victor Capital Foundry” between Maroon coworkers, and overhearing the phrase “shapeshifting capabilities” in the workplace.

It took Ray a minute to digest all the information. “So where'd you see those other monsters?”

“I, well... I saw them at Maroon.”

“Shit, Loops. What the fuck.”

“It's not dangerous there or anything! They weren't really present where I was. Sometimes I look through video clips when dealing with certain ER cases, and there have been two times when I've seen someone who, well... showed similar characteristics to our resident creepy creature.”

Ray listened intently as they turned another left corner, slowly circling the block.

“One of them was normal-ish. She looked like a human with the same pale, discoloured skin, and the same black crosses in her eyes. The other... I think the other one I saw might be who you're after.”

There was a long, silent pause between the two.

“Those cases were from the Lower Miyatama branch. Soma always told me to keep quiet about those ones.”

“Heh. Coulda told me it was classified instead of spillin' the beans to some street thug.”

“I suppose, but he never explicitly said it was classified. I suppose it was less him telling me, and more him encouraging me, hoping I'd get the idea. But, you know, maybe you were right! I've been thinking about how Soma treats me, and maybe you're right about him being a... a dick, so to say. Maybe this can be my petty revenge, telling you something he doesn't want to get out.”

Ray didn't like the last part of Gyro's speel. Although he'd never met Soma before, he knew better than to mess with people in powerful positions, and Gyro seemed to have a dangerous level of naivety regarding just that.

“So. Feelin' better with that off your chest?” Ray asked.

Gyro took a few seconds to respond. “I think I am, actually, yes. That felt nice.”

“Good. Don't do it again.”

“Huh?”

“You know I ain't never gonna narc, especially not if it's about your cunt boss. But you shouldn't fuck with people like him. They got power and resources.”

“I guess so...”

“Be careful who you tell too much to. Just sayin'.”

“Right, right.” Gyro quickly went from upbeat to solemn.

As the two chatted, Ray had been regularly checking left and right, looking for any convenient hiding spots for an alleged volon. He hadn't seen much, however; the surrounding buildings solidly lined the alleys, leaving no nooks or crannies for someone to hide out in.

That changed when they reached the end of the current side-street, where the right side opened up into a vast scrapyard dug into the ground. It didn't appear to be active, at least not at the moment – no vehicles, toll booths, or much in the way of maintenance supplies, and the chain-link fence encompassing the yard had succumbed to rust and disrepair.

Ray stopped and stared with his hands on his hips. Gyro looked over at him expectantly.

Scouring a scrapyard with Gyro by his side wouldn't be an ideal use of Ray's time, but the yard gave him a good idea of where he'd be patrolling later tonight – when Skye would be working.

He couldn't deny the possibility of the monster hiding out there at that very moment, but he didn't want to risk putting Gyro in any situation that would compromise his safety. Thus, he turned left and started walking down the street, circling back to where they'd encountered the tramp minutes ago.

“Yeh. Let's go,” he said.

“Hmm? You don't want to check out this yard?”

“Gonna come back here tonight when Skye's workin'. Catch that fucker when it don't expect nobody. Don't need to jump in there right now.”

Gyro caught up to him. “Don't you think it could be hiding out in there right now?”

“...Dunno. But if I was a giant that needed to lay low before stalkin' someone two streets away, that's where I'd do it.”

“Oh... well, I guess that's a good point. But if you're coming back later... don't you think it might be easier to just wait outside the bakery and see if it comes back?”

“Yeh, but the cops want me in, and I ain't about to risk loitering in one spot at night for hours.”

Gyro slowly looked to the side. “Oh.”

The walk back to the main street was relatively quiet after that last exchange. Despite the short trip, Ray felt confident that he had a few solid places to patrol in search of that thing.

Tonight, he'd have his friend's back.