Akino stood on the stage, tense with anxiety as he looked out at the sprawling Colosseum encircling him. To his right was Matoi, ahead of him was Hideyo, and beside her was Makina. Ahead of them all however, was Hetsu in the middle with a microphone held close to her lips. The massive television behind them powered on, displaying Hetsu's determined, powerful expression. The audience was packed, people pushed shoulder to shoulder. Sakagami, Yukino, and Miki were sitting together in the back, watching down at the stage.
The screen standing above the stage changed, displaying the name of the city in big bold letters as Hetsu began her speech. The brightness of the lights increased, the heat from the bulbs pointed straight at the five. Akino's back sweat from the heat, his haunting thoughts getting louder as the audience was silenced by Hetsu's introduction.
"Humanity has been held in a cage for so long, its almost impossible to imagine a world where mankind spread evenly among the planet. Division-A is our safe haven, and yet the restricting borders have encouraged man to conspire against each other. Misinformation is spread, testimonies are falsified, and paranoia is spreading through the districts like wildfire. In a time so divided, we must reflect on the common goal that brought us together, the fear of extinction. Your safety has always been in my best interests as your Royal Ambassador, and yet my execution of such duty has been less than perfect. I have failed as a politician, but I have not failed as a person whose heart yearns for a better future."
Matoi's eyes were locked on the woman's flopping lips, her attention captivated by her intriguing choice of words. The streaks on her tight uniform pulsed with her hefty breathing pattern, her forehead perspiring from the built up tension.
"I have kept some crucial information from you, and for that I strongly apologize. No longer, though, will I keep my fellow man in the dark. If I shelter you from the secrets of this world, then how can I trust us to rise against them? That is why I scheduled this conference, to come clean to you all."
Akino gulped, a shiver climbing up his spine and tingling through his limbs. His head became light, the weight shifting to his churning stomach and his racing heart beat. He focused on the audience through the camera flashes. Their faces were stern and restrained, leaned in close to every word.
On the spur of the moment, Hetsu choked on such words. Her wrinkled face shrunk up in agony as the crowd in front of her stared in confusion and concern. Her cold, veiny hands slid from the pole holding the microphone, swaying back and forth.
"…"
Blood poured out onto the stage, splattering uncontrollably. Akino looked up at Hetsu, breathless. Matoi pulled out her blade, sending blood spewing out all over her. Hetsu grabbed the open wound in her gut, choking on the blood in her mouth and then collapsed to the ground.
"I've had enough of your lies," Matoi declared.
"Master!!!" Hideyo cried.
Matoi flung her blade back, splattering more of Hetsu's fluids. The wind picked up, whipping her hair back to reveal her blood covered, crazed smirk. She stomped on Hetsu's head as she approached the mic. Everyone watched in horror.
Yet more dead silence.
"…Matoi…"
Sakagami, Yukino, and Miki were frozen in the audience, trembling. The massive screen behind the stage was focused on Matoi's face, her neon blue eyes glowing ominously. Akino watched, his horrified eyes sinking into his face. His skin paled and dropped in temperature, his hands shaking and dripping in sweat. Frozen in fear, he watched with spotty vision. White streaks flew through his retinas, each with brief memories of a child's life; one of a red sky, another of a city full of screaming people.
Hetsu's body twitched in pain as she curled over her stomach wound, a puddle of blood forming around her. Hetsu twisted her neck, looking up to see Matoi looming over her, the lights from the stage outlining her figure. Hetsu gritted her blood stained teeth, staring at her subordinate with vexation and disbelief.
Makina's mouth was dry, being able to feel her heartbeat pulse through her entire body. She clenched her fist tight around the handle of her weapon, unable to force her body to move from the mere shock of the betrayal. She inched forward, her legs trembling beneath the weight of her tensed muscles.
'Are you alright? Akino! Akino, look at me! You need to keep breathing. You'll see your mother soon, I promise! The world as we know it has been ruined by our own hands. This is no ordinary war! Division-A! Division-A is… Fuck! Wherever you find yourself, you must find the truth, no matter who befriends you or stands in your way! You must remember me, Akino! Do not let them play with your mind! Return us to our birth place, otherwise we may never know the feeling of humanity ever again! Akino! You are the only chance we have! Use your resources, remember this message, and guide your people back to humanity! Reclaim what was taken from you, from us! Please, Akino, be safe. Live!'
Matoi tapped on the head of the microphone, an obnoxious ringing echoing through the colosseum, snapping Akino out of his trance. Him, Makina, and Hideyo stood behind her, silently communicating with each other through an exchange of suggestive glares and nods. Life had paused, nobody spoke or even moved until, suddenly, Matoi spoke, her voice blaring through the speakers.
"I'm positive that most of you don't know who I am, and I wouldn't blame you," Matoi introduced. "I have lost contact with myself as well, sometimes I don't even know who I am." Hushed chatter started emerging from the audience, muffled screams and cries occasionally interrupting. "That isn't my fault, though," Matoi shouted, silencing them. "Before I was forced into this city, I had a last name… and so did so many other young girls my age who were forced to be soldiers! But don't get that confused, that's not where my hatred is directed."
Hideyo's hand slowly started creeping towards Akino's, trying not to bring any attention to the two of them as Matoi continued her declaration. Akino didn't notice, his focus instead pointed to his childhood friend, who's blood covered silhouette stood above the dying body of humanity's leader.
"So many of my comrades have given their lives, only to get ignored and unacknowledged! We've spent the past century fighting Compactors for ungrateful humans like you. Ever since, it has been my mission to make humanity see what I've sacrificed! And what better way to do that than let you all see the horrors my comrades faced first hand?" Matoi raised her hand into the sky and snapped her fingers.
An anticlimactic, but suspenseful silence followed a few seconds afterwards before a row of explosions rocked the colosseum from the other side of the wall. The audience cried, the ground shaking beneath them as they fell out of their seats and tumbled a few rows down. Long, black goo extremities climbed through the billowing electric smoke, towering above the colosseum as the monsters hidden behind the walls groaned.
Without a second to spare, Hideyo grabbed Akino's hand and started running off stage as the crowd erupted into chaos, leaving Makina and Matoi alone with Hetsu's crippled body. His eyes remained locked on them, horrified as he was pulled backstage and lead into a long, expansive hallway.
Matoi slowly turned her head, smirking, knowing the Omega behind her could snap at any minute when they made eye contact. The whites of Makina's eyes had turned pink from the mere illumination from the redness of her pupil. Matoi acknowledged this and lifted her hand to her face. Makina realized what she was about to do and immediately began charging towards her, but it was too late.
Snapping her wrist back, Matoi exploded into a massive beam of light. With adrenaline rushing through her veins and a goal for victory, Makina did the same, transforming herself into Stage Two. The stage rocked back and forth before being violently uprooted. The colosseum was shaken to its core, smacking innocent people around as sections of it crumbled into mountains of stone. The stage lights hanging from above snapped off and tumbled to the ground, exploding with a cloud of cement, glass, and sparks. The beams of the stage themselves bent out of proportion. The floor shattered, exposed soil shooting up from the cracks and polluting the air.
Makina and Matoi stepped out of the clouds of debris, exhaust shooting out from their shoulder pads and jetpack. Their faces were scarred, the colors of their eyes reversed with the scleras now red or blue, their pupils now white and dilated. Their uniforms were shredded, struggling to cling on to their bodies from the mass of their muscles.
"Congratulations, Makina," Matoi began, her voice scratchy and deep at first. "You finally have an excuse to fight me. You've always hated me."
Makina's eye twitched, overwhelming anger overcoming her very being. The complete audacity of her peer made her head race, their demeaning smile making her body ache. "I'm going to do more than fight you, you bastard!!!"
Kiku and Asuka watched from a patrolling helicopter as a massive cloud of smoke hid the colosseum. They leaned out, gripping the side of the sliding doors as they gawked, completely taken by shock.
"What's happening…?" Kiku mumbled under her breath, eyes locked on the cloud.
"We don't have time to ask questions," Asuka claimed, her jetpack lighting up as she leaned further out of the helicopter, her long red hair being whipped back. "Damn it, let's just find Hetsu and get her out of here!"
"W-was that… M-Matoi…," Kiku stuttered.
"Let's go!" Asuka pushed Kiku out of the helicopter, triggering her jetpack before she jumped out herself and flew into the black dome of smoke above the colosseum.
"Why?!!!" Makina screamed, pinning Matoi down to the ground. "Why?!!! Why would you kill her, why?!!!" Makina grabbed her neck and pushed her head back into the ground, choking her. "What do you have to justify this?!!! Huh?!!!" Makina's blood was starting to boil and her chest was tight. Her veins pulsed rapidly, trying to keep up with her overwhelming anger.
Matoi smirked menacingly. "This city will finally know what it feels like to live in the real world."
"What the fuck are you going on about?!!! You skanky ass traitor!!!" Steam shot out from the jet pack and shoulder pads attached to her uniform, cooling her ever boiling blood.
Matoi stared back. "You've been living a lie this entire ti-"
Makina stretched her neck out further, choking her out as drool ran down her chin. "Stop talking bullshit!!!"
Matoi winced, still not releasing her eye contact with Makina. "How vulgar, just l-like always!"
"Shut up!!!" Makina slammed her head into the ground again, causing the dried dirt to crack open beneath them.
There was a loud, sonic boom that came from nearby the stadium, knocking everyone off their feet and causing Makina and Matoi to release each other. Taking the opportunity, Matoi grabbed her weapon, unfolded it, and swung it at Makina, cutting the side of her throat as she got up. Blood came soon after.
Makina grabbed her neck. After healing practically immediately, she then proceeded in a battle of a constant exchange of attacks, each attempting to cut the other with their blades. Makina threw her arms back and swung Kaminari at her, cutting her so deep with her powerful swing that it sent Matoi flying into the stadium walls.
Hideyo and Akino sped down the dark, deserted backstage hallway, the walls and ceiling rattling around them. The exit door was far, dragging out a second to what seemed like a minute for every hasty step they took. Hideyo slowed her pace and bent over herself, balancing on her knees while panting.
Akino caught up, stopping in front of her. "H-Hideyo, we need to go!" The urgency of his situation took power over his emotions, his head now polluted with the instinctual urge to survive. "Look, this place is going to collapse any minute now, lets get out of here!"
Hideyo pushed herself up and inhaled, tasting the polluted air. She squinted her eyes shut, a tear rolling down her cheek before she nodded at Akino's statement and began continuing down the hallway. "I… I should go back…"
Akino's face drained of color, realizing that his only hope of escape was contemplating leaving in the first place. He shook his head, the hallway shaking in the distance. "To fight? No, we can't, we need to leave."
"No…," Hideyo wrapped her hands around her neck, feeling her necklace press against her palm. "…I need to grab master… she's in trouble… I'm not supposed to abandon her."
Akino grabbed her hand, squeezing it. The fabric of her gloves folded in his tight grasp. "She's dead," he reluctantly proclaimed. "There's nothing we can do but run now."
"Matoi… she…," Hideyo's pained face lowered, her eyes filling with tears.
"Listen." He grabbed her by the shoulders, squeezing them to force eye contact. "What's the best way out of here?"
Hideyo glanced at Akino's arms as he held her, noticing he was trembling from fear as well. She dropped her hand from her neck and clenched her fists as the ceiling started to collapse behind them. Her eyebrows arched, the façade of a determined, strong-willed warrior gracing her face. "Outside, there's people waiting for us."
The two children reached the exit, pushing open the steel doors and darting down the street. Streetlights were swinging as the earth beneath their feet uprooted. Buildings swayed, their windows shattering. Fires broke out around the area as titanic Stage Three's roamed the streets, the crashing from their footsteps drowning out the city's screams. They fled down the sidewalk towards a limousine parked by the side of the colosseum. Hideyo and Akino jumped into the back, quickly shutting and locking the door.
Hideyo gripped the edge of the driver's seat, leaning forward. "Hurry, go!" She instructed the driver. Moments of suspense passed as the vehicle remained stationary. Hideyo glanced in the dashboard mirror, noticing the dead driver slouched in his seat with blood streaming down his forehead.
In the running crowd of horrified citizens, Sakagami grabbed Yukino's shoulder and pulled her, running in the opposite direction as the others. Yukino was pulled back, her body being jerked in every which direction as she was yanked down the stairs.
"This way!" Sakagami instructed.
Yukino looked back, shouting at her boyfriend. "Miki!"
Miki noticed the two running down the stairs and quickly met them, matching their speedy pace. The three of them ran back off into the stadium, dodging chunks of concrete and deformed railing.
"Where are we going?!" Miki grabbed Yukino's hand as they ran with Sakagami.
Sakagami gritted her teeth anxiously. "I need to get Akino!"
"What?!"
As they ran towards the stage, a bright blue and red streak flew across the sky and landed into the bleachers behind them, crushing who knows how many people. The streaks were of course Makina and Matoi. They fought each other to the ground, doing whatever it took to be on top of the other. Matoi grabbed Makina's wrist and put her leg on Makina's chest and began to lean back, stretching Makina out like a rubber band.
"A-Aaaaaaaaagh!!!" Blood dripped from Makina's mouth as she screamed. Suddenly, Matoi ripped her arm off and kicked Makina back into the bleachers, making another explosion of debris.
Sakagami paused and looked back, gasping. "Makina!"
"Ahh!" Yukino and Miki squealed, watching Makina's arm drop right before them.
Matoi smirked, stepping on the Omega's shoulder. "Look who's on top now. Do you seriously think you could stop my revolution?"
Makina tried to attack again with her spare arm but Matoi pinned it down with her foot as she squatted over her.
"You're not looking at the bigger picture," Matoi said, "I promise you that once this is all over and Division-A has fallen, you'll understand!"
Makina glared at her furiously.
"If you even live that long~"
Without prior warning, Matoi shoved her hand into Makina's chest, ripping open her shirt and stomach. Blood shot out from the open wound as Matoi played around inside Makina's artificial organs while she screamed.
"Here it is!"
Matoi pulled Makina's core out of her. The blue circle on the side of it pulsed rapidly as the wires connecting it to her body did its best to keep everything connected. Matoi looked at it, amazed, spinning it around in her hand. "So this is what an Omega's heart looks like? How cold."
Miki ran up behind Matoi and, without hesitation, threw a block of concrete at her head. The concrete crumbled upon impact, causing Matoi's ankle to snap from the sudden rush of force, knocking her down to the ground.
Makina, with her weak body and shallow eyes, wiped her bloody mouth and looked at the male above her. "Miki…?"
"Come on," he said nervously, grabbing Makina's hand and dragging her away.
Matoi rubbed her head in disbelief, looking behind her to see Miki, Sakagami, Yukino, and Makina running back to the exit. She jumped to her feet and yelled, "you cant get away from me!!!" She then tensed her body, activating her jet pack and shot back into the sky, launching herself towards the others.
Yukino, who was holding Makina's hand, looked up to see the blue streak get closer to them. Her pupils shrank as she yelled at the others, "she's chasing us!"
Out of the blue, a bright green streak ran into the blue one, knocking it into the other end of the stadium. The three paused, staring in amazement. Out from the cloud of settling dust emerged Kiku with her long spear and illuminated uniform. She approached them, smiling happily.
"I did it!" Kiku jumped in the air out of excitement.
Asuka dropped to the ground not too long after and caught her breath.
"We need to get out of here," the redhead protested as she began to look around at the destruction. "So Matoi really…"
Makina bit her tongue, refraining from bursting out into an angry heap.
"She stabbed Hetsu in the stomach," Yukino mumbled, "a-and then sent a bunch of Compactors out to the city…"
"Why? Why would she do that?!" Kiku raised her hands to her chest, clenching her heart.
"We don't know," Sakagami replied.
A loud scream came from the cloud of dust and a bright blue spark materialized behind it.
"Come on, lets go through the fire exit!"
In the midst of trying to escape the stadium, Sakagami grabbed Asuka by the hand and stopped in her tracks, frightening the Omega.
"Wait," Sakagami squealed, "I need my son!"
Asuka looked back, concerned. "What? Akino? Where is he?!"
The blonde shook her head emphatically. "I don't know!!!"
Asuka looked around for a brief second but then grabbed Sakagami's wrist and started dragging her back into the retreating mass of bloody, screaming people. "I'm sure he's fine, but we need to get out of here! C'mon!"
"B-but my son! Akino!" Sakagami started to tear up.
Asuka looked back, her fierce green eyes displaying an immense amount of worry and urgency. "Listen to me," she said as she squeezed through the people, "I'm an Omega and its my job to make sure that the largest amount of people survive any given situation! If I have to leave Akino behind to save you all then so be it!"
Makina, being supported up by Yukino, looked back at the two of them with a frightened and stressed face. "W-what do you mean leave him behind? Where is he?!" After she got no response, a heart-wrenching feeling circulated through her body. She turned around and looked up at the red sky. "Akino!!!"
Without a second thought, Hideyo jumped into the driver's seat, pushed the corpse out onto the road, and slammed her foot on the petal, sending the car blasting through the crowded streets. Hideyo spun the wheel as fast as she could, trying to dodge the long line of running people. They turned another corner to see a giant black Compactor stomping towards them.
"Shit!" Hideyo cursed, spinning the wheel again as they approached it, trying to circle around it's feet.
"Hideyo, look out!!!"
Suddenly, the Compactor slammed its foot into the ground, causing the road they drove on to crack and shoot up. Hideyo pressed down on the petal harder, going as fast as she could down the road, hitting bodies along the way. The girl glanced at her rear view mirror, seeing the monster advance on them.
"Stupid! The tasty ones are that way!!!" Hideyo growled, nodding behind her as she referred to the commoners. "Leave us alone!"
Akino looked back through the window, seeing it only a few meters away.
"It's gaining on us!!!"
Abruptly, there was a loud scream escaping from the giant's lips and it feel backwards onto the street, rattling it to the point that the limo tipped over into a ditch. Windows shattered and Hideyo slid onto the other side, grabbing her head.
Akino leaned up, his weight rocking the limousine, and looked at Hideyo holding her bloody head through the torn seats. "Hideyo!"
Hideyo felt the warmth trickling down her head and her survival instincts overcame her when she began kicking the car door above angrily. "I'm not getting eaten!!!"
Suddenly, a blue flash lit up the sky, catching their attention. Akino turned his head, cautiously looking out the rear window, not certain if he actually wanted to know what was unfolding. His underlying suspicion was confirmed when he saw Matoi emerge from the back of a fallen Compactor. The two made eye contact, sending chills through Akino's body.
"Hideyo…," he whispered, gaining her attention.
The girl wasn't able to even turn her head so much as an inch before Matoi blasted through the vehicle with her jetpack and stole Akino from his seat. The blinding blue light flew past her and into the sky, taking the boy with it. Hideyo climbed up out of the limo, speechless as she watched him fly down the highway.
"Akino," she mumbled, stumbling down the highway after him. "No… come back! Give him back!!!"