章節 33: Episode Thirty Two. (July 3rd, 2123. Division-A, South District.)
Akino's block was quiet. The tall buildings surrounding his house casted a dark shadow over Makina and Akino as they walked down the alley. The boy continued into his yard, his feet tapping against the cobblestone walkway, disturbing the sleeping neighborhood cats. They walked into the kitchen, where Sakagami sat on the table and scrolling through her phone.
"I brought her," he said, starting to walk to his room.
"Oh," Sakagami lifted her head up and smiled. "Hi, Makina. Would you like anything to drink?"
Makina looked over her shoulder, stopping at the entrance of Akino's room. "No, thank you."
Akino slid open his bedroom door and paused in the doorway, glancing over at his mother. "We're going to talk about some things in private, we'll come out when we're done, alright?"
Clouds hovered overhead, shedding the kitchen in a gray dimness. Sakagami tilted her head illuminated by he phone screen, puzzled. "Where's Matoi, didn't you invite her?"
"She couldn't make it," Akino shrugged, waving Makina into his bedroom. "She's busy with the conference stuff."
Sakagami turned her phone off, her face now matching the dullness around her. She directed her attention to Makina, curious. "Shouldn't you be there, then?"
"I got excused," Makina stated bluntly, secretly fibbing.
Not willing to extend the conversation anymore, Akino walked into his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Makina's head turned, observing the somehow empty yet cluttered room. His bed wasn't made and there was trash surrounding his nightstand with a pile of dirty clothes pushed in the furthest corner next to an armoire. As of the rest of his room, it was bare.
"You're awful at lying," Makina pointed out, still walking around. "Why did you not invite her?"
He approached the Omega, taking his jacket off and throwing it on his bed. "Matoi isn't in this for the truth, she's in it for me. If I mentioned any of this to her, she'd do everything in her power to keep me from it."
"You think that I'll be any different? I'm the girl who told you to stay the fuck out of my business before you get killed, and you didn't," Makina reminisced, reminding him of the first few days they met. "The only reason I'm doing this for you is because I trust you know what you're doing."
Akino smiled, pulling a switch blade from under his bed. "Awe, you trust me?"
Makina narrowed her eyes, already fed up with his attitude. "Hetsu told me I have to."
"Touché," he said, sliding up Makina's sleeve..
"Hold it," Makina exclaimed, pulling her arm away from his grasps. "What exactly do you expect to find by cutting through my arm? I've had my limbs ripped off several times and there was nothing peculiar."
"During one of my check-ups with that doctor after we found out about my core, he told me about how an Omega's body is designed to break in certain areas. There's certain areas of your body that are naturally weaker than others so that when attacked, that is where you will split. These areas are even weaker than a humans so it's easier for it to break at that spot," Akino informed. "Have you ever wondered why your core never seems to get exposed?"
Raising an eyebrow, Makina questioned his speculation. "…and?"
"What I'm saying is that I think they're hiding something inside of you. Why would they design you so you only break in some parts instead of others when you can just regenerate instantaneously? In my dreams, there's a guy that says to me 'guide the people back to humanity.' I don't know who else he would be referring to if it wasn't the Omegas. The thing is, I'm pretty sure this man was talking to me before Division-A happened."
"Okay," she responded. "If that's the case, then how did he know about Omegas in the first place? We were only created as a defense mechanism against the Compactors, there's no way anybody could have predicted that Division-A would need that. At that time, no ordinary person has even been there yet."
"That's why I think this man was of some kind of importance," he explained.
"Then, if he knew that girls in the city would be used for that kind of purpose, why didn't he stop it? From what it sounds like, your dude didn't want us to be Omegas in the first place." Makina questioned, her face outlined in sunlight as the clouds above them vaporized and light shed through his windows.
"Exactly, there's something he was scared of. I think our first hint could be inside of you," Akino wondered, progressively getting more nervous. "When the doctor was speaking to me, he said that there was a weak spot in your arm socket and antecubital space. That means if we make an incision along your forearm, we might find something."
Makina sighed, giving into his curiosity. "Fine, have fun."
Akino pressed the button on the weapon, the sharp blade projecting out of its handle. He pulled Makina's arm back towards him and took a deep breath, pointing the blade at her skin. He was reminded of the could, smooth metallic-like touch of Makina's skin as he held onto her wrist, feeling her veins pulse beneath his fingertips. The warrior watched intently as he pushed the blade against her forearm. Her skin dipped into the curve but refused to break under the pressure. He pressed harder, grunting while the blade refused to cut through.
"You thought it would cut that easy when this area is specifically designed not to?" Makina said, annoyed as she pulled her arm away. "Idiot."
Suddenly, she lifted her hand to her neck and tugged on her necklace, breaking the string and removing her weapon, Kaminari. She stepped forward, distancing herself from Akino as she raised her arm and unfolded the five foot long weapon with a flick of the wrist. Amazed, Akino watched, fully appreciating Makina's professionalism at what she does.
Without a seconds notice, Makina extended her bare arm and sliced through it with the other, cutting through the toughness in an instant. Her arm fell to the ground, warm blood shooting from its flesh and splattering across Akino's walls.
Akino fell to the ground, grabbing Makina's severed arm in a frantic manner. "Makina, what are you doing?! We don't know what's in here, you could have destroyed it!"
"Going off what you've been saying, it sounds like its designed to be tough." Makina walked up to him and grabbed her twitching arm from his grasps. "I stopped being 'complacent,' you quit being a pussy."
Makina dug her fingers through the flesh. The warmth of her pulsing arm tickled her fingers as she felt around. Blood trickled down her hand and dripped onto the wooden floor. Akino watched, disturbed as she tugged on the chunks of meat inside it.
"Disgusting…," Akino mumbled.
"Tell me about it," Makina replied, leaning back as she dug through the arm. "I can feel the bone, wait."
"What?"
Makina held her breath, her pupils shrinking as she contemplated. "If they're hiding anything in my body, it'll be in the bone." Makina wrapped her hand around the bone in her arm and ripped it out, immediately shredding the remainder of her arm to bits and sending blood raining onto his floor.
"Makina!" He shouted, reminding her of the caution she should take.
Makina stood in front of him, her eyes glued to the bone in her hand. She gritted her teeth, preparing herself before using all her might to break it under her grasp. Her knuckles became red and her hand trembled. Then, the bone fractured. The left side broke off, exposing a cluster of blue tubes inside.
The two of them watched, frozen in shock. Seconds later, the bone unraveled into a heap of glowing blue string, flying to Makina's arm socket and tightening together to grow a new arm.
Makina's body became cold, colder than usual as nervous sweat dripped down her forehead. Her eyes glowed with horror as she stared at her empty palm, then at Akino who dawned the same expression. "That… wasn't supposed to be there…"
"There was wires in your bones…," Akino mumbled. "Why was that there?"
"Do you think I know?" Makina asked, staring down at her forearm. "The only artificial part of me should be my core and the coating over my skin, not whatever the hell that was."
"It disappeared fast," Akino acknowledged. "I'm sure it was designed to do that… so we wouldn't see the wires."
"I don't know," Makina said. "I do know that the damn old woman at the Capitol never told any of us this." Makina turned her head, whispering to herself. "God, I feel violated."
"Excellent," Akino smiled. "As disturbing as this is, we don't have time to sit here and obsess over it." The two of them looked at each other, adrenaline rushing through their body. "We finally have a lead on Hetsu, we can use this to get her to open up."
"And when are we supposed to do that, she and I will be swamped with shit to do for the next few days," Makina inquired. "There's supposed to be a conference in the South Colosseum."
"I know that…," he mumbled, holding his chin in thought. "…she's confessing about your existence. This is a big deal…"
"I doubt she'll say much of anything," Makina expressed. "The bastard will keep as much hidden as possible if she can get away with it. She doesn't trust us, and I can't say I blame her. You're attending this with us, aren't you?"
Akino nodded, turning his head and looking out the window. "Yeah. I'll be on the stage with you, Matoi, Hideyo, and Hetsu herself. Sakagami and the others should be in the audience watching us."
"I can't believe her," Makina hissed, the sense of betrayal lingering as she stared at her body.
"We'll talk to her after the conference; the next day. That should give us enough alone time with her. Do you think you could make her talk?" Akino asked her.
"Why me, why can't you talk to her? You're the one wanting to do all this," Makina proclaimed.
"You know her better than I do, you know what makes her tick," Akino stated.
"You're wrong," Makina denied. "Hetsu and I have no relation outside of our business. She hates me and I hate her. If we want anyone to get her to talk, it would be her right hand girl, Hideyo Hiroko. Although, it'd probable that Hideyo knows everything too. If that's the case, then she most likely wouldn't be on our side."
"Then its settled, we go for Hetsu head on," Akino concluded. "We have evidence against her, that should be enough to get her talking."
Three Days Later…
Hideyo walked to the end of the stage and turned around, getting a better view of the thick red curtain draped over the rods of steel behind it. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, dissatisfied. Exhausted, Akino tightened his grip around the rope and pulled again, straightening out the curtain.
"Is it good enough for you, yet?" Akino groaned, arched over the rope, exhausted.
"Please," Hideyo said, "its not that difficult. Besides, this is a big occasion!"
Makina walked by, carrying a stack of wooden crates across the stage. Akino glanced in her direction, making brief eye contact, reminding them of the revelation a few days prior. Makina set the crates beside the stairwell backstage and returned to Akino's side.
"You feel it, don't you?" She whispered, staring out into the thousands of empty seats.
"What do you mean?" Akino asked, intrigued by her odd start to a conversation.
"The millions of eyes watching us, waiting for us to open our mouths, do you feel it? Right over that wall," Makina began, pointing to the Colosseum wall, "are herds of humans waiting for the truth to be revealed. They're angry, impatient. They don't know the true horror that awaits them, yet Hetsu thinks giving them a glimpse of it will diffuse the tension. She's clueless."
"You're making it seem like this is the end of our story, Makina." Matoi included herself, walking up to the stage in full costume. "In reality, this could strengthen our city. If everyone is prepared, then-"
"She isn't preparing anyone," Makina interrupted, "she's satisfying them. She's giving the people out there the bare minimum to keep them quiet. She doesn't trust them with the knowledge we have, and I can't say I blame her. You saw what happened when word started getting out."
Matoi looked away, annoyed with Makina's pessimism. She sighed, shrugging it off. With a light smile, Matoi walked up to her. "Well, if this is our end, then I guess this will be our parting gift." Matoi offered her open hand, thumb extended out for Makina to shake.
Makina hesitated, carefully observing the Omega's hand before reluctantly shaking it. "I can't say it was nice to work with you, Matoi, but at least I got to know you."
A laugh forced itself out of Matoi's mouth. "Hah, barely."
Akino rolled his eyes and separated the two. "Come on, this isn't the end. Let's get back to work before Hideyo yells at me," he insisted, quivering in fear.
"Are you kidding?" Matoi questioned, looking around for eavesdroppers. "I've had people yell at me that I don't even know. Out of all my years of being an Omega, I've never been scolded this much."
Suddenly, a sword found its way pointed at Akino's cheek, poking his flesh. He lunged back, terrified, only to see Hideyo standing beside him with a sword in her grasps. "I told you to get working. If this Colosseum doesn't look like it was built a minute ago an hour from now then I'll put all three of you in detention."
"I thought we were friends…," Akino stuttered as she walked away.
A line of stage lights lit up behind them, shining bright into the blue sky above. They watched, amazed by the look the stage took on. Walking out from backstage was Sakagami dusting her hands and Yukino and Miki following close behind.
"I figured that some fancy lights would do the trick," Sakagami stated cockily as she approached the trio.
"Greetings, Ms. Sakagami," the Omegas welcomed in unison.
"What are you doing here so soon? The meeting doesn't start till an hour from now." Akino asked, meeting her half way. "Ah, hi…."
Miki's graze drifted away, reluctant to talk to Akino. Yukino stood in and bowed her head slightly. "Hi…"
"I figured they deserved to be here also," Sakagami explained, nodding in their direction. "Is there anything we can do to help?"
"Just look like you're doing something," Makina answered. "I don't want anyone getting on my ass."
Sakagami stepped back and looked up, observing the heavy red curtain hanging above. She covered her mouth, struggling to hide her laugh. Akino and the others stared at her, confused. "Hey, guys… did you forget to hang the other curtain?"
"There's supposed to be another one?!" Akino's jaw dropped. Rolling his eyes and groaning, he dragged his feet backstage. "Fine, but I'm not hanging it this time."
He walked down off the stage, then opening a set of gray doors leading to what he assumed was the storage room. He walked around, taking in his surroundings as the voices of his friend grew distant. There were broken lights hanging out from the ceiling and there was no window to be seen. Stage lights, carpets, microphones, packs of batteries, tools, and more were scattered in all directions. Eventually, Akino came across a massive lump of red cloth amidst the hoard.
"Ah, there it is," he said.
He grabbed the curtain and pulled it behind him, the cloth waving around.
"…"
Before him was something unexpected; a strange, oval shaped hunk of glass and metal. He approached it and ran his hand over it, clearing the dust from what seemed like a glass door above a control panel. He wiped more dust off, seeing the strange contraption in all its glory. A section of the walls on the machine was torn off and a collection of black, white, red, and yellow wires were hanging out.
"What is this…?"
He leaned over it, pressing his hands on the glass to balance himself. Suddenly, the sound of dust shooting out from the machine oozed out from its crevices, startling Akino. The dusty glass dome on top lifted up, exposing the inside. After a few seconds of admiration, he leaned in and observed. There was a torn leather chair against the back of the machine with its stuffing poking out. In front of it was a television, its screen shattered and hanging from the bar of metal spanning across the front.
A flash of white interrupted his vision. Akino stumbled back and grabbed his head when he walked into a flimsy shelf. He fell to the ground, still holding his head as the shelf collapsed behind him. His eyeballs pulsed within his skull as his vision blurred and consciousness faded.
Flying across the sky was that same vehicle. Purple and blue light illuminated its back end as heavy smoke protruded through its vents, propelling it forward into a spiral of clouds gracing a blood red sky as a city collapsed beneath it.
Akino lunged up to his knees, reality returning back to normal. His heart raced and his breathing lagged as he held his pulsing chest. He looked to his left, recognizing the vehicle immediately. Pieces of his developing mystery started to fall into place as he blankly stared into his arm.
His wits returned. Akino immediately started digging through his pocket for his phone to take a picture, but was taken aback when it was missing. He looked around, cursing at himself. He lifted his hand to his ear, feeling around. His ear piece was gone as well. "Shit." Akino grabbed the hefty curtain and pulled it behind him as he ran outside, busting through the doors.
Noticing his presence, Makina jumped off the stage. "Where the hell have you been? It's been like forty minutes!" She grabbed the sheet from Akino's hands and stared at it obsessively. "What is this? This is a blanket, not a fucking stage curtain?"
"What do you mean I've been gone for forty minutes…? I was only gone for a minute at most." Akino turned his head, noticing the massive arched doors opened and people flooding into the bleachers. 'Was I out for… that long?'
"Don't you have your phone or something? We've been calling you on repeat!" Makina grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the stage. "Doesn't matter now, we found the curtain in the storage closet. I don't know where you went."
"Wait, Makina!" He called out, trying to get her attention as she dragged him up. "I found something in the st-, where ever I went! There's a pod, an old one- one from a hundred years ago, back when we first got here! I-I think there was a whole fleet of them down there!"
"Did you snort it all? Damn." Makina pulled him backstage and corned him, focusing his attention on her as commotion stirred up behind them. "Hetsu's speech is starting shortly. Whatever nonsense you're saying, tell me later, alright? Now, get in position."
"Already?!" He looked around, frantic. Makina began walking out when he continued his rant. "Wait, it's really important! Division-A is-"
"It'll have to wait, this is more important!"
Suddenly, the stage lights became brighter. The humming of the microphones and speakers echoed through the Colosseum. He peaked out, noticing the massive audience encircling him. Helicopters hovered above and cameras were flashing off and on. He gulped, noticing the staff behind him starting to get in formation.
"We're on in five!"
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