Matoi held her hand over her chest, her racing heartbeat pulsing against her fingertips. She stood up, trying her hardest to keep her balance as the bus advanced past district borders. She stumbled down the cluttered isle towards the front. Bending over as she reached into a cooler, Matoi sighed as she stared at her reflection in the ice before pulling out a bottle of water.
The bus continued down the dirt pavement. Tall, jagged cliffs lined either side of the vehicle. Small pebbles occasionally rained down onto the windshield with an accompanying cloud of dust as the Omegas drove into the next district. The sky was gray, dulled from the clouds overhead. The road stretched for several miles ahead with sharp, blind turns and quick changes in elevation.
"All this work to get to a beach?" An Omega went on. "Why would anyone want to live here?"
"This isn't the main road, dumbass," Makina pointed out, leaning against the side of a booth. "Hetsu closed the highway last night during evacuation. This entire area is isolated."
Akino was staring down at his palm once again, his face blank with thought as he waited with anticipation for them to reach their destination. Matoi sat in the empty space beside him as she unscrewed the cap to the water bottle. She lifted it over her, squeezing the water into her mouth before offering Akino some. He waved it away, knocking himself out of his train of thought.
The bus was stacked full of Omegas with nearly every seat occupied. Matoi and Akino sat near the back, watching the scenery pass by them. Makina wasn't too far ahead, strutting through the isles impatiently. Hideyo sat in the front behind the bus driver, silent as she polished her swords.
"I wonder how the others are doing," Matoi mentioned, trying to strike a conversation.
"Not too good, probably." Akino responded, gawking out the window as cliffs passed him by. "Miki blames me, I know it… and Yukino."
"Oh," Matoi mumbled, "I was referring to Asuka and Kiku on the other team… but…"
"Sorry," Akino quickly spurted out. "I just have a lot on my mind right now."
"We all do," she confessed. "This is a big moment for us, for all of humanity. If this mission is successful… whatever that means, then we'll finally have an advantage over the Compactors. We won't just be cattle anymore."
"Is the advantage really worth it? We have no idea what's inside of that mountain. For something like that, the risk we're taking now is…"
"What happened to the Akino that spearheaded this entire ordeal? Don't be a wimp, now," Matoi joked, nudging him. The pair was silent for a while as Matoi thought deeper into things. She scooted away, giving him his space. "This is our chance, being scared of it isn't going to get us anywhere."
Hideyo wiped the rag over her sword one last time. As the cloth was pulled away, Hideyo noticed Makina's reflection in the blade. She looked up, meeting the Omega eye to eye. Hideyo slid the sword back into its sheath attached to her back, leaning in for conversation. "What is it, Makina?"
"I wanted to ask you something," Makina prefaced. "What do you expect when we get there- the mountain?"
"I'm hoping… that there's nothing," Hideyo admitted, smiling sheepishly as Makina's eyes widened. "I'm probably the only one here that's not excited. If there is something there, that could change our entire game plan. If there is anything, I hope that one of the other teams gets it… my back hurts."
Makina's eyes rolled to the back of her head. "Something in my gut tells me that there's something waiting for us." She turned her head, staring out the front windshield. "It's only a matter of what… what exactly is out there."
"Compactors, obviously," Hideyo giggled. "That's the entire reason we're here."
"No shit," Makina said, walking back further into the bus.
She waited for Makina to leave, sighing. Hideyo lifted herself out of her seat, standing in the middle of the isle. She pulled her sword out and tapped it against the floor, gaining the attention of the Omegas on the bus. "Listen up, Omegas! We're about ten minutes from Mount Massive, but I want you to think of it as ten minutes from victory! No matter what we happen to come across, I want you to pour your heart and soul into the cause. Your entire life has led up to this moment, this is why you became an Omega!"
"Yes, ma'am!" The bus shouted back.
Matoi smiled, her finger bending over itself as if she were pulling a trigger.
Hideyo continued, starting to lay out their plan. "Mount Massive is a cavernous mountain located on the coast! There is a bridge just a few yards from the mountain which is where our vehicle will be parked. From there, we will walk off the bridge and climb a trail on its east side that leads to a cave about thirty five feet above sea level. I will have our most resilient and high ranking Omegas travel inside the cave while the rest of you will be stationed around the mountain in the case of an emergency."
"Hideyo seems like a different person when she's giving orders," Matoi whispered into Akino's ears. "I wonder where she learned all those big words."
"I want Makina to lead the charge into the cave. Matoi, Rena, and Akino will follow behind her with stage lights. I want one placed every twenty meters if it goes too deep," Hideyo elaborated. "Akino, if the cave goes further than eighty meters then I want you to return and I will equip you with more lights and a rope to trace your steps. Every single one of you will be wearing a body-cam that you'll attach to your uniform after we get off the bus."
Matoi nudged Akino again, grinning. "We get to go in together!"
"If things get out of control, then use your earpiece to call for help. Don't bother trying to get through to me, send a voice message directly to the Grand Hall and they'll deploy the Suicide Brigade if necessary," Hideyo said, returning her sword to her back. "Do you all know what we're doing?"
"Yes!"
Makina clenched her jaw, the unease becoming more and more prevalent as the bus continued. She looked ahead, noticing the cliffs shrinking in size as the sky peaked through. Not before long, the ocean was beneath them. Eyes were glued to the windows as Mount Massive's silhouette made its appearance through the fog. The bridge was long, nearly half a mile, and stretched several lanes across. Sand and sharp rocks sprawled out from either end of the bridge, climbing up to connect the rest of the dynamic environment.
"I thought it'd be bigger," an Omega mentioned.
"You've never been here?"
"My friend's family goes on vacation here every once in a while."
"It's kind of ugly…"
"This is it," Makina said to herself as the mountain came closer. "This is the supposed Compactor base."
The bus pulled to the side of the bridge once it reached the foot of the mountain. The doors opened and Omegas stood up to stretch or adjust their uniform. Hideyo bent over, picking up a heavy case of cameras from the booth across from her. She wobbled out the bus doors and dropped it by the tire, unloading it as Omegas walked out.
"Here," Hideyo said to Matoi, who stood beside her. Hideyo tugged on the fabric over Matoi's collar bone while she pinned the miniature body cam onto her uniform. Matoi stepped aside, letting Akino and the others get equipped as well.
"Thank you, Commander," Akino expressed as he carried out a stage light from the back of the bus.
Hideyo rolled her eyes as she pinned another camera. "Don't call me that, Akino. I'm a friend to you." The tan girl smiled innocently, triggering a smile back.
Makina walked up to the side of the bridge with Matoi, looking up at the towering mountain. Its peak was flat and rounded compared to the rest of the mountain's gray body. It scaled thousands of feet high with sharp, jagged edges that protruded from its side. Along the right side of the mountain was a small trail of rock that gradually climbed up to a wide opening overlooking the ocean, of which was still and lifeless.
"Stay safe and close behind me, Matoi," Makina instructed. "Don't fuck this up for us."
"Don't tempt me," Matoi responded. "I might just do it out of spite." The brunette walked away from Makina, meeting Akino near the bus.
Makina exhaled, turning around and returning to the crowd. "Does everyone have their cameras? Yes? Good." She lifted her arm, pointing to the mountain behind her. "I will lead us into the cave. I want Matoi behind me, and behind her will be the other Omega and then Akino, do you understand?"
The crew nodded.
"The rest of you will surround the mountain with your weapons pointed towards the cave entrance. If you see anyone besides the four of us exit, use your weapons to cripple and detain them!" Makina exclaimed.
"Are you talking about the person we saw in the Northern District?" Akino whispered.
"I don't know what to expect," Makina mumbled, drifting into a side conversation before bringing herself back. "If you see a Compactor at any time, I want it killed before it can take a single step. We have no time for being compassionate."
Matoi looked down at her hand, her weapon unfolded and transformed into a hefty gun. She teased the trigger, pressing against it slightly with anticipation. The Omegas began to line up behind the four of them and started their way up Mount Massive. Akino pushed his feet deep into the gravel trail, attempting to gain a grip on his track upwards. The trail curved slightly, now overlooking the dead shoreline beneath them.
Then, the cave came into view. The gaping hole was bathed in complete darkness that poisoned the area surrounding it. The smell of rain water and deteriorating corpses rushed into the crew's nose as they stepped in with hesitancy. Akino plugged his nose, gagging when he realized he had smelt this scent once before; the day he first encountered them. A familiar scent of rotten flesh grew stronger as they continued.
Matoi looked behind her, seeing the exit shrink and shrink behind the darkness. Makina glided her hands over the damp side of the cave walls, not trusting the environment she had walked into. Her eyes were dilated, focusing hard on the blackness in front of them, blackness that had seemed to devour the light from their flashlights.
"Should we go back?" The Omega asked, slowing her pace. "The exit is getting further and further away…"
"I have a GPS," Makina fibbed, too entranced by the world around her to leave. "Let's keep going."
Akino's heart raced as it climbed up his throat. He gripped the flashlight tighter, his skin blistering from his tight hold. Makina continued deeper, a smile almost gracing her face as her eyes lit up with excitement. With every step, she got faster. Impatient, Makina found herself gaining distance between her and the others.
"Makina, hold on," Matoi shouted, her voice bouncing off the walls of the cave. "Wait for us."
Suddenly, the floor ahead of Makina vanished. It dived into a deep abyss, over thirty feet wide, where light couldn't reach more than five feet. The cave entrance circled around it like a dome, full with cold air rushing up from the hole. Makina's legs trembled as she stepped back, the pebbles beneath her feet dropping into the abyss, silent. The group gasped as they approached, noticing the massive, gaping crater in front of them.
"W-what is that?" Rena questioned.
"Look," Akino told them, his head lifted up.
The four looked above them. Directly above the crater was another one identical in size and shrouded in darkness, reaching an unpredictable height up. The cave moaned, drops of water leaking from its crevices as the cold breeze fled through.
"What is this…?"
Makina stretched her body and tensed her muscles, illuminating her uniform with red. She hung her foot over the edge before jumping into the abyss, disappearing within seconds. Akino ran up to the edge, Matoi holding him back as he screamed her name.
After seconds of unease, a bright red streak started circling the interior of the crater. Makina flew around it at lightning speed, the rain hitting her face and pebbles tumbling down as her speed broke off pieces of the rock around her. The light from her jetpack pushed the darkness down, giving the group a chance to see inside.
"Makina…," Akino mumbled, relieved.
"Can you see anything?!" Makina screamed, still flying around.
"Just a bunch of rock!" Matoi answered, cupping her hands around her mouth as she leaned into the hole.
Akino stared ahead, focusing his eyes. As Makina circled the borders of the abyss, her light reflected off the wet rock above her, exposing another tunnel on the other side of the drop. He looked to the side, seeing another slim makeshift trail on the edge of the abyss.
"Guys!" Akino said, pointing to the steep edge along the side of the crater. "There's another way through." He stepped back, walking towards the exit. "I'll go get those li-"
Out of the blue, Makina flew back up and into the tunnel, leaving the others behind, screaming. "This is my chance!"
"Makina!!!"
The trio ran after her, stumbling along the trail as they reached the other side of the abyss. The followed the fleeing red light into the darkness, the light from their flashlights bouncing up and down as they ran through puddles and around boulders.
"Makina, stop!"
Akino continued behind Matoi, who was using her jetpack to propel herself forward. He looked behind him, noticing the Omega. "Rena, go back to the bus and grab those lights while we get Makina!"
"Of course," she replied, retreating.
Akino slowed his pace, losing his breath as Matoi flew past his line of vision. He hovered over himself, shifting his weight to his thighs as he struggled to catch his breath. He looked down, noticing his shoe was soaked from the puddle he stood in. Looking closer, he noticed something haunting. Mixed in with the cave water was blood, swirling around Akino's feet. He yelped, pulling his foot out and stumbling into the cave wall.
He pulled his shirt, bringing his body cam closer to the puddle as he pushed himself into the rocks against his back. Suddenly, the wall behind him cracked. He turned his head, startled, as the crack continued up into the ceiling. He pushed himself off the cave wall and started running further into the tunnel. He tripped over himself, sending him face planting into the sharp ground when the roof above him collapsed. He covered his head as rocks and stone flew past him with a cloud of mineral dust.
Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed the mound of stone piled over the puddle. He stood up, wobbling from his lack of balance. He crept forward cautiously, leaning against the mound of debris as he looked up when a drop of blood fell on his cheek. His pupils shrank with fear, but climbed up nonetheless, reminding himself of the mission.
He pulled his body into the tunnel above him. He crawled along the wet floor before pushing himself up when he felt something twitch against his foot. He brought his flashlight to his toes, noticing a decapitated bat trembling on the ground. He winced, disturbed. "…the hell is this place?"
He turned around, moving his flashlight with his torso. He continued forward into the darkness when he noticed a dead end. The tunnel wall in the distance blocked his trail, but something caught his attention. His eyebrow lifted as he pulled his feet forward, forcing himself to move on.
In the distance was a folded piece of paper. The edges were charred with black. Holes and tears decorated the yellow paper. Akino picked it up, the side of the paper damp from the cold and wet environment. He lifted it up, examining it with his flashlight before unfolding it. He pulled it open, staring at it intently when his heart sank.
The old, damaged paper was a map of the ocean; the Pacific Ocean. He noticed the date it was made in on the corner, realizing it was relatively recent; about fifty years ago. However, what truly took him by surprise was what was missing from the map.
Division-A was nowhere to be seen. The spot he had seen the island so many times before in his history books and online had vanished. It wasn't cut out, wasn't scribbled out, but it wasn't there at all. He let go of the map, horrified.
His vision started to blur and drain of color. White flashed in front of him as glimpses of a dream started to rush in. He grabbed his head, leaning against the side of the cave wall as his body became numb. He looked down, noticing the map once more when another drop of blood dripped onto the paper.