I keep my voice flat. “Tell Renn I’m working.”
A pause. “Godfather requested you remain?—”
“I’m remaining,” I snap. “In this room. Working. Go away.”
Silence.
Then footsteps retreat.
I exhale, then return to the data, diving deeper because it’s the only thing keeping me from spiraling.
Time passes strangely in the Nun. There’s no natural light, only curated glow and constant sound bleeding through the walls—distant music, laughter, occasional shouts that could be celebration or violence. My senses keep catching little details: the faint vibration of bass through the floor, the smell of cooking spices drifting up through vents, the soft hiss of the air system cycling.
And beneath it all, the awareness that I am surrounded by predators who smile.
Eventually, hunger hits me like a wave. My hands cramp from typing. My eyes blur.
I push back from the desk and pace the room once, twice, trying to shake out tension.
And that’s when I hear it.
Not inside the room—outside, down the corridor, muffled but clear enough to catch tone.
A man’s voice, pleading.
Another voice, calm, amused.
Then a sharp sound—like a fist hitting flesh.
I stop pacing.
My stomach tightens.
I move to the door and press my ear to it, careful not to touch the panel where someone might detect me.
The voices sharpen slightly through the seam.
“—I told you, I’m good for it,” the pleading voice says, breathy with fear. “Just give me another week?—”
“You said that last week,” the calm voice replies, almost gentle. “And the week before. I’m starting to feel like you don’t respect my calendar.”
A wet cough.
“Please,” the first man whispers.
A soft chuckle.
Then: “You know what I think? I think you’re confusing kindness with weakness.”
Another impact.
My throat goes dry.
I open the door before I can talk myself out of it.
The corridor is dim, lit by gold wall sconces. Two Kaijen enforcers stand there—one male, one female—both in tailored suits, both with weapons holstered like accessories. Between them is a man on his knees, hands bound behind his back, face swollen, blood dripping from his nose onto the carpet.
He looks human.
