Back in the classroom, the Angel inventories supplies while Camilla tidies equipment. Camilla stages a stumble into the Angel, allowing Palamedes to use Camilla’s body to touch the Angel with necromancy. The Angel questions Nona about a drawing Nona made, recognizing the animal as a rare “cradle creature” from old archaeology studies, which suggests Nona knows things she should not know.

Palamedes takes control of the conversation and asks whether the Angel ever received medical treatment, an implant, or contact from House necromancers. The Angel realizes Palamedes used necromancy on her and, terrified, concludes that Palamedes must be a Lyctor. Palamedes swears on Camilla’s life that he is not, but the discovery still turns the Angel against him and forces hidden identities into the open.

Hot Sauce returns just before gunfire erupts through the window. Nona blacks out from a head wound and later wakes to hear the Angel, now called Aim, arguing with an unmasked Pash, the Angel’s bodyguard. Pash is trying to cancel a liquidation order and reveals that Merv Wing’s people are attacking in what amounts to a coup; Pash also identifies Nona, Camilla, and Palamedes as part of the “Lyctor project.” Pash accidentally shoots Nona again when Nona moves, but Nona survives, and Camilla also rises with bullets in her hands.

As Merv Wing’s unit approaches, Aim cannot call them off. Camilla and Pash grudgingly cooperate despite mutual hostility, while Nona is sent to retrieve Hot Sauce from the generator room. Nona finds Hot Sauce sick, armed, and traumatized because Hot Sauce saw the bullet enter Nona’s head. Nona tries to reassure Hot Sauce and keep her from running toward the fighting while Camilla and Pash kill the attackers outside.

When Aim later brings Nona and Hot Sauce back, the classroom is damaged and bodies are being dragged away. Hot Sauce sees the blood and the wound in Nona’s head and realizes Nona did not merely survive but appeared to die and return. Nona tries to prove she is alive by making Hot Sauce feel her heartbeat, but Hot Sauce is horrified, declares Nona out of the gang, presses a gun to Nona’s temple, and pulls the trigger.