The door opened a mont later, and Seraphina Brooks stood there, her posture as rigid as ever in her Academy instructor's uniform. Her expression softened almost imperceptibly when she saw who it was.
"Eclipse," she said, her voice maintaining its usual authoritative tone, though lacking the edge she typically used with other first-years. "What brings you to my quarters after curfew? Shouldn't you be resting before your matches?"
"Permission to speak with you, ma'am," Noah said, standing straight but not at full attention—she'd never required that from him during their private conversations.
She studied him for a brief mont, then stepped aside. "Co in. Five minutes."
Noah entered her quarters, which were ordered and military-precise as expected. A few tactical manuals sat on her desk alongside tournant schedules and student performance reports. A single photo stood in a plain fra—her graduating class from years ago, the only personal touch in the otherwise austere room. He wondered if she carried that picture everywhere with her.
"Sit," she said, gesturing to a chair as she closed the door. When he hesitated, she added with the hint of a smile, "That's not a suggestion, Eclipse."
Noah sat down, and she took the chair opposite him, her posture perfect even at this hour.
"Now," she said, folding her hands in her lap, "what's so urgent that my most promising first-year is risking derits instead of preparing for tomorrow?"
She clearly wasn't hiding her bias at this point again.
"I need clearance to leave the Nexus Arena, ma'am," Noah said directly.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, but rather than imdiate refusal, she rely asked, "For what purpose?"
Noah had prepared for this question, knowing he couldn't ntion the Purge. "There's information I need to access that can't be found inside the arena."
"Information," she repeated, studying his face. "Would this information happen to be related to your... extracurricular activities with Kelvin?"
Noah maintained a neutral expression. Miss Brooks had always had an uncanny ability to read between the lines with him. That was what scared him most about her. It was like she knew everything about him.
"Yes, ma'am."
She leaned back slightly. "Eclipse, you've always been different from the other cadets. More driven. More... attuned to things beyond the standard curriculum." She paused. "But even for you, requesting clearance to leave during the inter-academy tournant is exceptional."
"I understand that, ma'am."
"Do you?" Her voice remained calm, but her eyes were piercing. "Because Minister Reigns himself implented the lockdown protocol. No students leave the arena until the tournant concludes. For security reasons."
Noah nodded. "I'm aware of the protocol, ma'am."
"And yet here you are." She studied him for a long mont. "This must be important."
"It is."
Miss Brooks stood up and walked to her window, looking out at the illuminated arena grounds. "Where exactly would you be going?"
Noah hesitated. "Academy 8's base."
She turned back to face him, one eyebrow raised. "Smoak's territory? That's... unexpected. Did Grey put you up to this? No, he wouldn't, forget I ask," she paused to contemplate for a second, "And how do you plan to gain access once you're there?"
"I'm still working on that part," Noah admitted.
A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "At least you're honest about it." She crossed her arms. "Why not ask Sophie Reigns for help? The Minister's daughter could probably arrange both clearance and access with a single call."
Noah tensed slightly. "I'd rather keep this... discrete."
"I see." Her tone suggested she understood more than he was saying. "Trouble with the Minister's daughter?"
"It's complicated, ma'am."
"It always is." She returned to her desk, opened a drawer, and removed a small tallic chip. "This is my personal clearance. It will get you past the arena checkpoints for exactly six hours."
Noah stared at the chip in surprise. "Just like that?"
"Just like that," she confird, but held the chip just out of reach. "On conditions."
"Na them."
"First, whatever you're investigating, I want to know if it's sothing that could affect my students. Not the details—just a yes or no."
Noah t her gaze. "Yes, ma'am. It could."
She nodded once, having expected this answer. "Second, you return by 0500 hours. Not a minute later."
"Understood."
"Third," she continued, "whatever is happening between you and Sophie—and possibly Lila Rowe, given how distracted she appeared when I saw her departing from you earlier—resolve it. Soon. Personal distractions lead to tactical errors, and tactical errors get cadets disqualified in tournants or even worse,"
Noah's face betrayed nothing, but internally he wondered just how much she had noticed. "Yes, ma'am."
She placed the chip on the desk between them. "Take it."
Noah reached for it, but paused. "Why are you helping ?"
Miss Brooks' expression softened slightly—the closest thing to warmth she ever displayed. "Because in my years of teaching, I've never t a cadet with better instincts than you, Eclipse. If you think this is important enough to risk the implications that co with it, then I'm inclined to trust your judgnt."
She pushed the chip closer to him. "Don't make regret it."
Noah took the chip and pocketed it, standing up. "Thank you, ma'am."
"Don't thank yet," she replied, her voice returning to its usual crispness. "If you're caught, I'll deny everything and personally oversee your punishnt detail. Are we clear?"
"Crystal clear, ma'am."
She walked him to the door. "0500 hours, Eclipse."
"I'll be back before then."
As he reached for the door handle, she added, "And Eclipse? Whatever you're looking for... be careful. The world outside these arena walls isn't as structured as what you're used to."
Noah nodded once and left, the door closing quietly behind him. The weight of the clearance chip in his pocket felt both liberating and heavy with responsibility. Miss Brooks had given him what he needed without demanding the full story—a rare show of trust from the normally rigid instructor.
As he made his way back through the silent corridors of the Nexus Arena, his mind was already planning their next move. They had a way out of the arena now, but getting into Academy 8 would be the real challenge.
And then there was the matter of Lila and Sophie—the complexity of his feelings for both of them, and the secrets he now carried. Lila's connection to the Purge. The intimacy they'd shared. Sophie's intensity and her father's position. It was a tangled web, and he was walking right through the middle of it.
When he reached his quarters, he could see light spilling from beneath the door. Kelvin was still awake, waiting for news.
Noah took a deep breath and pushed the door open. "We're clear to leave the arena. Get your gear ready."
Kelvin looked up from his tablet, a slow grin spreading across his face. "How'd you manage that?"
Noah held up the clearance chip. "Let's just say I've got an instructor who trusts more than she should."
"Brooks?" Kelvin's eyebrows shot up. "Damn, she must really like you."
"Or she knows I'll make it worth her risk," Noah replied, already gathering what they'd need for the mission. "We've got until 0500 to get in, find what we need about this Purge prisoner, and get back."
Kelvin nodded, suddenly serious. "Let's not waste ti, then."
As they prepared in silence, Noah couldn't help but wonder what they'd find at Academy 8, and whether it would be worth all the risks they were taking. The Purge was planning sothing—sothing big enough that Lila had risked everything to warn him.
Now it was up to them to figure out what that was, before it was too late.
The night air was cool against Noah's face as he and Kelvin exited through the service area of the Nexus Arena. Miss Brooks' clearance chip had worked flawlessly—the EDF guards had barely glanced at their credentials before waving them through. So far, so good.
"Transport's this way," Kelvin whispered, leading them toward a maintenance hangar a short distance from the main complex.
They moved silently through the shadows, avoiding the floodlights that swept across the outer periter. The tournant had brought heightened security, but most of it was focused on preventing unauthorized entry, not exit.
As they approached the hangar, Noah spotted a sleek, compact skycraft hovering just above the ground, its engines humming softly. Military-grade, by the looks of it, though the Academy 12 insignia had been carefully removed.
"How did you get access to a Peregrine-class?" Noah asked, eyeing the craft with a mixture of admiration and suspicion.
Kelvin grinned. "Let's just say I know people who know people."
"You stole it."
"Borrowed," Kelvin corrected. "Temporarily requisitioned for an unofficial mission of critical importance."
Noah shook his head but didn't press further. Kelvin had always operated in gray areas when it ca to technology.
They were about ten ters from the skycraft when two figures stepped out from behind it, causing both of them to freeze in their tracks.
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