After brief eye contact between the two, Hate turns around and leaves. Simultaneously, Ace's right eye turns back to normal, and his left eye reopens. Brooklyn leans over to see Ace's face from the front, curious and confused, only to be too late seeing nothing out of normal. It only makes her even more confused, but she shakes her perplexity off fast.

Brooklyn- "You ready to dip?"

Denarrow- "Oh… Uh, yeah, let's go."

Brooklyn- "Okay nice seeing you guys again. Hopeful for your recovery Mister. Brazee."

Handu and Veno both look back to see Ace's right eye back to normal. The two effectively become spooked, not knowing exactly what just occurred, and don't exactly know what or how to act next. As the elevator doors begin to close with Brooklyn and Ace inside, Veno realizes he is still on a call.

Veno- "Ahh… Yes, security… Wait, can you repeat that…"

The elevator doors then close. While the elevator goes down, the two conversate.

Brooklyn- "What did the three of you talk about?"

Denarrow- "Nothing much."

It's not that Ace is purposely hiding the details. He genuinely feels that nothing much was discussed from a certain point of view. The only way he would get an opposite response was if he was going to be in the tournament the next day. But since it would be around two weeks out until he could do anything, it's 'nothing much' for him at the moment.

Brooklyn- "Oh…"

Denarrow- "Oh yeah, you know about the gambling event for the Paradise tournament."

Brooklyn- "The Heavenly Gambit, yeah I know little about it. Why, what about it?"

Denarrow- "Place your bet on the Untitled."

The elevator stops, and doors are about to open

Brooklyn- "Okay, why though?"

Denarrow- "Because…"

He's interrupted as the elevator doors open, and the sound of chaos enters. The lobby is filled with yelling policemen, all of them wearing military gear and heavy weaponry, including assault rifles, are seen moving hurriedly left and right all over the place. The policemen treat the situation as if it is a drill in boot camp, yelling orders and such at the crowds of people. Those same crowds swarm from all sides to exit the building, similar to a fire drill.

Brooklyn is then able to spot Olivia, who stands to the side, watching everything unfold. The two make their way to her. Upon approaching her, Olivia immediately latches onto Brooklyn like a scared child with no words said. She's paler than her usual self. Brooklyn spots Captain Jacks by sighting his blue straw hat. He's behind the lobby's front desk talking to an employee. She then gravitates toward him, with Ace innately following her and Olivia still holding onto her.

Captain Jacks abruptly ends the conversation with the employee and looks to talk with Brooklyn. Captain notices and recognizes Ace but fixes his attention back on Brooklyn. Despite it being loud, a conversation starts and is audible for both parties.

Brooklyn- "What's going on Mister Jacks?"

Captain- "There was a breach in security at the nearby Cyberon."

Brooklyn- "What's happening here then?"

Captain fell silent, clearly not wanting to answer the question. But shortly after, he breaks open after seeing Ace staring him down with stern eyes.

Captain- "There… There is a high possibility that there is some 'terrorist' activity in the area."

The word ‘terrorist’ scares the souls out of Brooklyn and Olivia. In this world, the word terrorist is as good as mentioning the devil in the white gas mask. Brooklyn chokes on her words as she mentally loses the strength to keep focus. Olivia is on the border of throwing up or passing out. Ace even knew what it meant, and his hands began twitching. The difference for him though is that on the inside, excitement is growing. For some reason, he didn't feel excited when he saw the terrorist himself in Veno's office, but now with the noise and the sense of fear all around him, it arouses his inner desire for conflict to happen. It arouses him so much that he can barely hold in his smile and fails to keep his limbs from shaking in excitement.

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Captain- "There is a perimeter covering a span of four city-wide blocks, above and underground. And… is she okay."

He refers to Olivia, who's almost gone unconscious.

Brooklyn- "Yes she's fine, continue."

It was surprising for Brooklyn to answer so fast that she almost sounds apathetic to Olviia’s condition.

Captain- "Look, you have your ride right?"

Brooklyn nods.

Captain- "I'll let the force know to let you through without trouble. Hurry and get out of here, please miss Royce."

The Captain then leaves and disappears into the frenzied crowd. Brooklyn then tries to keep Olivia as she has little mental strength left to hold onto Brooklyn's arm and stand up at the same time. Brooklyn looks into Olivia's eyes which twitch and move at random.

Brooklyn- "Her PTSD."

Though it is loud and active all around, Ace is able to hear that and notices that Oliva is somewhat limping, dragging behind. He takes Oliva from Brooklyn and puts her over his shoulder. They make it into the crowds and leave the building. Outside, it's even more chaotic. Civilians and police move from every which way, either running or fast walking. Sirens, moving vehicles, flying drones, and the sounds of helicopters pollute the atmosphere. Most of this movement is disorganized, with sidewalks and streets becoming the same to both civilians and law enforcement. Ace is able to see a whole squadron's worth of policemen wearing all-black and navy blue military outfits and gear with masks covering their entire faces, similar to Ace's mask in the Netherly Arenas. The scene is utter chaos, a once organized state turned disordered. A state caused by the fear stemming from one man.

Ace notices Brooklyn's breathing increasing every second, and she's unable to properly focus. The car is only around the block, yet the noise and movement affect her senses almost altogether, making the trip seem longer than it is. She starts breaking down in a near anxiety attack. Luckily, Brooklyn is able to lead them close enough to the car that Ace can see it. He takes her hand and makes a move. Brooklyn hands over the wheel as she follows him obediently. Comparable to a balloon as Ace holds her hand while moving. Once they make it to the car, Brooklyn snaps back into it and unlocks the vehicle. Olivia is put in the backseat, where she lies down, being no longer awake. Ace gets in the passenger seat and Brooklyn in the driver's seat. She starts the car and transitions out of parking onto the road.

While driving, she uncontrollably shakes her hands and legs, her eyes stay open without blinking, and she stays quiet with a drying throat. It's Ace's first time seeing someone else so uncontrolled, so terrified, and so broken. She comes across a stop light and breaks fast, causing a jerk in the car. All the more evident that she's quite shaken to the core. Once they make their way past the police boundary of tightening encirclement, she begins to calm down and somewhat return to a more normal state. The environment also helps in that it's alternatively serene. When they approach a stoplight, Ace finally speaks.

Denarrow- "Well I am glad you held yourself up back there. It was a little hectic."

He looks at her, and she looks at him with her big, teary, terrified green eyes.

Brooklyn- "I was going to cry in honesty."

Ace grins.

Denarrow- 'You kind of did.' "I'm glad you didn't."

She grins back though it seems slightly forced.

Denarrow- "Do you know what Hate is? I've heard of him a lot, but I don't know exactly who he is."

Though she was just recovering, stress within her builds up once again.

Brooklyn- "A lot of people don't know if he's a man, a machine, or a monster, or a combination. He killed a lot of people across Urope and he almost caused the collapse of the Amerigan government. He or 'it' is the reason why police all around the world dress and operate like soldiers. If Hate was really back there, there's no doubt someone is going to die or someone is already dead, and he's going to run free like he always has."

The light turns green, and she taps hesitantly on the pedal. Then, in total sincerity, Ace asks her a question.

Denarrow- "Are you scared?"

Though it seems to be a stupid and inappropriate question, it's clear he asked that with the intention of an opportunity for her to be honest out loud.

Brooklyn- "Yes, it's now dawning on me that he's here. I and every other person born and raised in Midcity have known Hate to cause hate, destruction, pain, and chaos abroad. I'm beginning to think… He's here and he could kill me or anyone else I know at any moment. It scares me that anything could happen without reason or caring of time."

Denarrow- "Is that why she fainted too?"

Brooklyn- "Olivia's dad was killed in the Kurean massacre of 2032. She is one of the few dozen survivors at the airport where that same terrorist killed hundreds of people. She has PTSD from not only him but from chaotic crowds. There were hundreds of children, women, men, hundreds, all of them indiscriminately…."

Her hands start shaking and she can no longer sit still while driving. At the red light, Ace puts her hand on her shoulder. She looks at him and they look dead straight into each other's eyes.

Denarrow- "As long as I am here, he or 'it' won't lay a finger on you or her. I promise that to you, Brooklyn."

Brooklyn is speechless since it is the first time he calls her by her name.

Brooklyn- "How...?"

Denarrow- "I'm a fighter, remember?"

She nods in confirmation and looks ahead. Though most people might have taken his words lightly or probably saw it as a joke, she for some reason, one hundred percent believes in him. Maybe for some reason, it is because she retains nothing else to believe in at the moment. She then drives off without as much anxiety when the light turns green.