The blistered, bruised heels of Squad Thirteen trampled into the bus. Rocking the vehicle as they rushed in, the team called out to one another in peril as they found their sitting. The driver wrapped his sweaty hands around the handle and pulled with all his force, closing the doors and speeding off down the highway. The fleet of busses swerved around the uprooted chunks of concrete but found itself unable to avoid a rocky, nauseating rush back.
Asuka stumbled her way to the back of the bus after forcing Kiku into her seat. She joined Matoi and Makina staring out the glass of the back door. The decimated North District was falling behind the horizon and the Compactors seemingly disappeared. They peered out the scratched and dusty glass in suspense until the entire district fell into obscurity behind a cloud of haze.
"Insane," Asuka mumbled as she stepped away from the emergency door. "This is absolutely insane…"
Matoi slid her fingertips along the glass, staring into the sky as the sun hid behind thick, gray clouds. "They're not going to chase us…?"
A disgruntled yell pushed through Makina's gritted teeth as she swung her arm into the booth behind her, punching it. "God damn it! God fucking damn it!" She spun around, the purple braided locks hitting the side of her head. Glaring out the front windshield, Makina got a grasp of how far they were from the nearest district. "We need to go back! We-!"
Just as she started stomping towards the bus driver, Akino grabbed her forearm. She whipped her head around, angrily leering at him. "Makina," he pleaded, "it isn't safe there. Did you see how many there were?"
Tearing her arm away, Makina fired back. "I am your Captain!" She continued back towards to the driver, growling to herself when her earpiece went off.
"Makina!" The static, elderly voice screamed directly into her eardrum. "I understand, but sit down! None of our Omegas were prepared for a rush like that, and that includes you! A Captain is supposed to not only lead their men, but to protect them! Follow the rules."
Hearing Hetsu's pestering too many times, Makina ripped the earpiece out of her ear and threw it onto the booth beside her. She huffed, frustrated beyond words, and planted her bottom into the seat in a fit of silent rage. Kiku, who sat on the other side of the isle, quivered in comical fear whilst staring at the monstrous leader.
Matoi remained beside the emergency exit, mindlessly watching the environment change around her from a hot, hazy day to a foggy, moist afternoon. The South District started materializing through the mist as they approached.
Akino collapsed into the booth's cushion, taking a deep and relieving breath. He rubbed the dirt off his cheek with the side of his wrist, exhaling tiredly when suddenly his phone rang. He dug through his pocket and answered it without looking at the number. Sakagami's voice started echoing through the speaker.
"Akino, are you okay? What's going on?" She asked.
Matoi leaned over him from behind the seat, curious.
"I'm…," Akino paused, debating whether or not to tell her the truth. He looked to Matoi who shook her head no. He agreed with her decision, deciding that telling her would get the two of them and Hetsu in another dispute. "…I'm okay. We went to the North Distr-"
"What?!" She shouted into the mic.
"It's fine, we only went to clean up… nothing else happened, Sakagami."
"Well… I want you home as soon as possible," she demanded, an alarming tone in her staticky voice. "Something happened."
Furrowing his eyebrows, Akino looked up to Matoi who was equally intrigued. She leaned in closer, bending herself over the back of his seat as she listened to his reply. "What do you mean? What happened?" He asked, waiting for a reply. "Well? Are you okay?"
"No, no, I'm alright. You just need to see it."
"Oh," he responded. "I'm coming into the South District right now so I'll be there in a bit."
"Okay, see you."
Akino turned off his phone and pushed it back into his pocket. His concerned yellow eyes drifted towards clueless Matoi's blue ones. The schoolgirl shrugged, digging her elbow into the cushion as she rested her chin in her palm. "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know," he confessed, looking back into the distance blankly. "Where do you plan on going once we get back?"
Matoi rubbed her hand across her nape, massaging it. "…To the Grand Hall, sorry."
"It's fine," Akino consoled, stretching out his arms.
"Maybe," Matoi said, starting a new topic of discussion. "Maybe you could find out what's crawling under Makina's skin for me." Akino stared at her, puzzled. She smirked, continuing. "I need some more crap to use against her whenever we fight. The comebacks I've prepared are starting to run short," she teased.
Akino turned around, letting her face the back of his head. "I have better things to worry about."
Matoi unfolded her arms and puffed her cheeks, staring down Akino with a pitiful expression before rolling her eyes. She stepped into the isle and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Makina!" She called out, gaining the attention of the Omega from across the bus. "Can you walk Akino home?! Something's wrong with Sakagami and I want to make sure that if anything happens you'll be there!"
Leaning over the seat with her eyes locked on the two, Makina responded. "He's an Omega, he can go by himself."
Akino shot his head up. "What are you doing?" He asked Matoi harshly.
The girl bent her back over the booth, whispering into Akino's ear, "do me this favor and I'll do a week's worth of math homework for you."
"We're out of school for months…," he mumbled pessimistically.
Ignoring his remark, Matoi pushed herself back into Makina's view. "Well? Its your job as a Captain to protect your teammates, right? If something were to happen at Akino's house, like for instance- a Compactor, all the blame would be on us… especially you. Captain."
"Fine," she budged. "No need to patronize me, schoolgirl."
Matoi exhaled frustratedly, not wanting to instigate an argument.
Once the fleet of busses passed the security checkpoint, they pulled into the South District. Rain droplets trickled onto the bus windows as they drove through potholes of fresh rainwater. The dampness of the trees and the shiny reflections in the skyscrapers clued to a thunderstorm just moments prior, as well as the fog and puddles.
The bus parked itself in the back gates of the Grand Hall's private parking lot. As the Omegas were released, girls could be heard mumbling about the event.
"Are you serious? There was how many?!"
"I was wondering why we were called back so abruptly."
"It was disgusting! There was like twenty Stage One's chasing after us and we weren't allowed to kill any of them!"
"What's the point of even being an Omega if we aren't allowed to fight?"
"C'mon guys, it was unexpected. We weren't prepared for a mob like that."
"I was! Have you seen the place?! The whole district looks like hell!"
Makina pushed through the crowd, purposely running into the Omega who disrespected her home district. Without making eye contact, she continued speedily pacing away.
The Omega that was pushed over to the side caught herself before falling back. She immediately stiffened her body and shouted after the Captain. "Hey! What the hell is your problem?!"
"Hey, stop…! Don't you know who that is?!" Another comrade whispered.
"Like hell I do! That's the leader that got her whole squad killed! At least all the good ones, right? Squad Thirteen!"
Makina stopped in her tracks. She turned her head slightly, barely meeting the other's gaze.
"You know, I'm a squad leader too! Wanna know something? None of my comrades are dead!" She boasted, paying no respect. "So how about next time you treat the better Omegas with a bit more courtesy!"
"Fool," Makina said bitterly. "You better cut out your tongue before I cut your head off with it."
"What did you say?!!!" The Omega screamed back, leaning in for a punch.
Before the Omegas fist reached Makina, Akino lunged in. He cupped his hand, allowing the woman's fist to land comfortably in his grasp. He dug his fingers into her knuckles, silencing her as he spoke. "Eighteen year old soldier, ranks number one in all stats, has well over one hundred Compactor kills, and has saved dozens- including me. Makina is your superior in every way so I recommend that you take her advice before I tell Hetsu to reduce your ranks." He pushed her hand down, letting go of her fist as he walked away with Makina.
The Omega looked on, mouth agape. "…is that… Akino and Makina? He did say Makina, right?!"
"You messed up, Captain," her comrade said disappointedly.
The honking of horns and the rumbling of car engines filled the long stretching highways. Headlights and billboards started to flicker through the dense fog as dark gray clouds rolled in. Walking along the sidewalk, Akino and Makina listened in silence to the white noise. Makina glanced at him as they approached the end of the sidewalk, waiting for Akino's instructions. He pointed to the right, indicating his house's direction.
Akino gulped, burdened with the promise to dissect Makina's attitude. His eyes drifted to her, examining her face absent of expression and her confident walking posture. "Makina," he said. "Whats wrong?"
She ignored him, continuing her walk.
"I've never seen you act the way you have been the last few days," he huffed. "What happened in the North District?"
Makina bit her lip to refrain a potential outburst. "Enough, Akino," she warned, walking ahead of him.
"Please, Makina! What happened there? Why are you so frustrated? What are you so afraid of?"
The two turned another corner into a cramped alley way filled with telephone wires and dumpsters. Droplets of rain started to gracefully fall from the sky and onto the tips of Akino's shoes.
"I only agreed to walk you home. Now if you don't want a muzzle and a leash, I suggest you mind your own business," she threatened.
Aggravated, Akino stopped. Makina slowed her pace, looking over her shoulder at him. She turned around, stopping as well. With her hands stuffed in her jacket, she waited pretentiously for Akino to reply.
Her gleaming red eyes worsened his anxiety. He squinted his eyes at her, silently hyping himself up for his response. "What happened… to you in the North District?" He emphasized.
Makina's skin was electrified as shivers crawled through her spine and anguished butterflies swam in her sick stomach. Eyes wide with shock, Makina mumbled to herself as she struggled to pull a sentence together, nonetheless a comeback or insult.
"About five years ago, the district was leveled by a mysterious terrorist organization. I know that they were actually Compactors, but what happened? Everybody there died, right?" Akino stated.
Makina brushed her fingertips across her palm in an attempt to rid it of her nervous sweat. "No… not everybody died." Akino stared back at her, intrigued. "I used to live there when I was a kid," she blurted out, pushing the heavy words out of her mouth.
His pupils shrank, speechless.
"I lived there… with my pregnant mom and dad. I was thirteen when they attacked. It started off as what we thought was an earthquake but when we ran outside, we saw those massive… damn monsters. They could've been yards away but they were still so huge… I saw my neighbors running out of their houses just like I did, not realizing what was actually waiting for them. A single step that thing took… flattened an entire block of houses. Mine… met the same fate. Amidst all the chaos, my family and I got separated." She choked up, struggling to suppress her emotions behind a cool exterior. "I hid under a crushed house across the street and when it was all said and done and the dust settled… I could see their bodies. My mom… my dad… my neighbors were all ripped apart, crushed, and bitten into…!"
"Makina…"
Thunder started to rumble in the distance. The clouds above them grew darker until the sunlight was completely gone. A harsh shadow was casted over them, helping Makina's eyes illuminate even more in the already dark alleyway.
"Some soldiers found me a few hours later," Makina continued. "I was the only one who managed to survive. It doesn't matter how many people told me that it was a miracle that I was alive… I still see it as a curse. I don't want anybody else to go through what I had to go through. I was forced into becoming an Omega, being one was all I had left. I still… I still blame that old witch for what happened. Because of her negligence, all I have in my life is an endless war to fight!"
The ends of Akino's mouth drooped. He focused on the damp concrete beneath his feet, embarrassed by his insensitiveness leading up to her reveal. He watched as a puddle formed in front of him, his sad reflection starting to materialize. "That's good though, isn't it? Your noble actions are making Division-A a better place..."
Makina shook her head and gripped her necklace holding her weapon, her fist trembling. "It wont. The Omegas before me weren't even able to protect my district from an attack." She dropped her hands, continuing with a husky tone. "Division-A isn't getting any safer no matter how many Omegas there are. In the event of a widespread Compactor attack, we won't… be prepared. We know next to nothing about them. They're incredibly tricky to kill, and just their mere presence could break this city apart."
"I don't think so," he said. "We have incredible Omegas now, like you, Makina. I think Division-A stands a chance."
"What do you know?" Makina asked harshly. "You've never seen anything close to what they can do. I wasn't able to kill even a single Stage Three until recently and I'm… I'm the best, right?! The first Stage Three I ever fought killed lots of staff and officials in training. We're fucked, Akino."
He shook his head, offended by her pessimism. "Then what? What do we do?"
"We die," she stated, turning around and walking back. "That's what we've always done..."
"But if everyone dies-!" He shouted, chasing after her.
"Humanity goes extinct," she finished. "Exactly, and Omegas will be stuck here in hell until we advance Stages and kill ourselves. Then, Compactors will be the only thing left on this damn island, this damn planet."
"But-!"
"Akino!" Sakagami called out as she sped into the alleyway. "You're here, finally! Come here!"
With her hand grasped firmly around his wrist, she pulled him out of the alleyway and into their backyard. Makina followed behind him cautiously. The boy tripped along the messily placed cobble stone path leading to their back door. Sakagami turned abruptly, pulling him into the wet yard. The three of them stood in the grass, staring at the side of the house.
Spray painted along the wooden planks of the house was a message reading 'Remember, I know you do' in faded red paint. The paint was dripping along the side of the house with the rain and dying the grass a suggestive shade of crimson. Akino stepped back into the alley wall, eyes glued to the side of his home. Makina looked at him and Sakagami, concerned.
"After I finished paying bills, I came outside to mail them. Then I saw this. I don't think it was here when Akino was here, but…," Sakagami informed.
Akino's stomach churned. He was reminded of the writing in his journal and all his nightmares that purged him over the year thus far. His heart raced, fearing his family's involvement. He took a deep breath, holding his chest tight. He turned to Makina, uneasy looking.
"Makina…," he said.
"What is this, Akino?" She asked, disturbed.
"Is there anyway we can get a report filed on this?"
Makina stepped back, repulsed. "Yeah, I'll get somebody soon."
The boy looked back to the writing, staring at it with determination. 'Who are you?'