Maria walked alone.
The hallway was narrow, older than the rest of the structure, lined with dark wood paneling that swallowed most of the light. Wall sconces cast a low amber glow that barely reached the carpet. No cameras. No visible guards.
None were needed.
Her heels made a muted sound on the cold floor.
She reached the final door and paused only a moment before pushing it open.
The room beyond was dim, illuminated by a single chandelier suspended over a long, oval table carved from black oak. Heavy curtains covered the windows. Oil portraits of long-dead benefactors watched from the walls.
She knew every face inside by heart just as everyone knew her and of her recent troubles. It grated her to be inside this room right now, it angered her to sit in front of the man that has caused her grief.
Judges. Industrialists. A media executive. A banking magnate. A shipping heir. A foundation chairwoman whose charity funded half the city's hospitals.
They did not greet her warmly.
They nodded.
She took her seat without a word. But there were two chairs still empty, honestly she hoped she was last.
Maria folded her hands neatly on the table and waited.
The air felt tight and unbalanced.
The final two entered together—quiet, composed. The door shut behind them with a soft, final click.
Only then did the speaker of the court rise.
Kane stood at the head of the table, posture straight, expression carved from stone. He did not need to raise his voice.
"Thank you," he began evenly, "for arriving on such short notice."
His gaze moved slowly around the room.
"This meeting of the Court is now in session."
No one shifted.
No one interrupted the speaker.
"Kane allowed a small, sympathetic smile to touch his lips before his expression softened further.
"I regret that I did not visit you personally," he said, turning toward Maria. "There are… prying eyes everywhere at the moment. I deemed it unwise."
Many nodded their heads in agreement.
"But you have my sincere wishes for your husband's steadfast recovery."
Maria inclined her head gracefully.
"Thank you," she replied, voice smooth as silk. "I will pass on your well wishes when he wakes."
Inside, something darker coiled, 'You placed him there, Kane.' She thought
Her nails pressed lightly into her palm beneath the table.
Kane's gaze lingered on her a moment longer before shifting.
"Do we have word on the driver?" he asked evenly. "I understand he has not been located."
'Fishing for answers, are we?' she thought coldly. 'Worried I've found your hitman?'
"No," Maria answered. "They can't find him."
Her voice did not crack.
"I have been unable to be hands-on in the search," she continued, allowing a hint of frustration into her tone. "I haven't left my husband's side."
Her fist tightened subtly against her thigh beneath the table.
'I can almost feel his relief.'
Kane nodded once, measured.
"Which brings me to my main point."
He straightened, voice hardening as it addressed the full room.
"This was not an accident."
The chandelier light flickered faintly above them.
"Someone has struck the Court," Kane said. "And we do not, for certain, know who."
A low murmur rippled around the table.
"We must eliminate this threat."
'Rallying the troops,' Maria thought. 'Using his own attack to justify activating Talons for his own ends.'
One of the industrialists leaned forward. "What about Everleigh? Isn't it fairly obvious? He's been searching for us."
Several heads nodded.
"But why," another countered, "would Everleigh leave Powers alive and then kill his doctor? How does that help him find the Court?"
A thoughtful silence followed.
Kane folded his hands.
"We do have people monitoring Everleigh," he admitted. "Unfortunately, since he utilizes the homeless population extensively, it is difficult to determine who is acting under his direct orders."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"But I was thinking along the same lines. Who else but Everleigh would strike so brazenly?"
'Careful,' Maria thought. 'Push too hard and you expose yourself.'
A woman near the far end of the table interjected, "Unless this isn't about us at all. The Powers family is in the same business sphere. Could this simply be corporate maneuvering?"
Maria let out a soft, derisive snort.
"Hardly," she said coolly. "He owns one hotel. A successful one, yes. But I don't believe he has any interest in expanding beyond that."
Her tone was dismissive.
Controlled.
Inside, her thoughts burned.
'You want this to be Everleigh, Kane. You need it to be him. Because if it isn't—
She folded her hands neatly on the table.
—then the attack came from inside the nest.'
****
Fluorescent lights flickered overhead.
The smell of antiseptic and rust hung thick in the air.
Nolan stood in the center of a long corridor inside Arkham Asylum — peeling paint, barred doors lining both sides, the distant echo of dripping water somewhere unseen. The floor tiles were cracked, smeared with old stains that never quite washed out.
This was his mind.
This was where they lived.
At the far end of the corridor, a cell door hung twisted from broken hinges.
Heavy footsteps echoed.
The Beast emerged from the darkness of the ward.
Massive. Shoulders scraping the narrow hall. Veins like cables beneath gray, scarred skin. Eyes burning with animal fury. Its knuckles dragged against the tile, leaving spiderweb fractures in its wake.
Nolan held his ground.
"I need to talk to you."
The Beast answered by charging.
The hallway shook as it thundered forward. Nolan dove sideways just as a clawed hand smashed into the wall where his head had been, concrete exploding outward in chunks.
"Stop!" Nolan shouted, rolling to his feet as the Beast ripped a metal door clean off its hinges and hurled it down the corridor.
It shrieked through the air. Nolan ducked; it embedded in the opposite wall with a deafening clang.
The Beast lunged again.
Nolan pivoted, slipping beneath a sweeping arm that would have caved in his ribs. The Beast's claws carved long gouges into the floor instead.
"I'm not fighting you!" Nolan snapped, backing toward the nurses' station as the lights above flickered harder.
The Beast finally spoke — its voice layered, distorted, reverberating through the hall like a growl forced through broken glass.
"You are weak."
It slammed both fists into the floor, cracking tiles in every direction.
"Weak of body."
Another step forward.
"Weak of mind."
Nolan staggered back as debris rained from the ceiling.
But then—
He smiled.
Not mockery.
Relief.
"You're talking to me."
The Beast froze for half a second, chest heaving.
Nolan straightened slowly despite the destruction around them.
"If I'm weak," he continued, voice calmer now, "then tell me how to be strong."
The Beast's lip curled back, revealing jagged teeth.
It stepped closer until its shadow swallowed him.
"Give me my body," it growled.
The demand shook the corridor more than any blow had.
Nolan's smile faltered.
His shoulders lowered.
He shook his head slowly.
"No."
The Beast's eyes flared brighter, claws flexing.
Nolan's voice softened, almost sad.
"If I do that… there won't be anything left of us. It is not your body but ours."
The best snorted and turned seemingly giving up for the day, his imposing figure swiftly disappearing through the corridors.
Nolan sighed and left appearing in the office.
Vey, Quentin and Kieran stood there shaking their head.
"Madness, madness I say what do you think you can accomplish here Nolan? Do you think you will become friends?" Kieran said from the side
Nolan sighed shaking his head, "Is it so wrong to want to understand parts of myself? To understand what I buried?"
The personalities looked at Nolan, the silence was heavier than it had ever been.
"Is it so wrong to admit you created all of us for specific purposes? That you created us because you couldn't handle it and likely never will be able to. Do you want us to disappear Nolan?" Kieran countered his voice soft
Softer than anyone has ever heard
Nolan buried his head in his hands, "How can you say such a thing. I would not be able to function without you all, you are my best friends, my confidants and the only ones who know me."
"I'm sorry."
"Do not be Nolan, you did nothing wrong." Vey said crouching beside him, "Stop trying to rush everything."
Nolan laughed despite himself, "I really do take on too much, Quentin do you mind being in the seat for the day I think I need to rest."
Quentin wanted to scream NO! He loved being in control.
"I do mind actually. You will be in control come morning and you will do nothing but go to the gym and relax." Quentin said
"Do not hide inside your head Nolan it's a bad habit."