Akino forced his feet forward then dropped to his knees in front of Miki's dead body and Yukino, who wailed above him. He watched as the shine in Miki's eyes faded and his bruised skin went cold. Not willing to accept the truth, Akino hovered his palm above Miki's open mouth. Despite any hopes Akino may have had, Miki was in fact dead. Akino's body went limp as he lowered his head onto Miki, crying on his chest.
Sakagami knelt beside Akino, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tight as she fought back tears herself. Makina stood behind them, her eyebrows arched close in sympathy as she watched another comrade be pulled away from her. Hideyo stepped around Yukino and approached Miki's body, bending over to close his pained eyes.
"You should know that… he never gave up," Hideyo said to Akino, who was still mourning on his chest. "Miki was the first one to walk out the door." Akino opened his tearful eyes, surprised. "He was the first to master the jetpacks, the first to pursue a plan to rescue you. He never once lost the drive to bring you back, Akino."
Akino pushed himself off Miki and knelt beside Sakagami, who still had his hand. He wiped his tears with the others, sniffling as Yukino took her turn to cry on him. "Why…? I don't understand," he expressed. "I did nothing to be a good friend to him, why would he do this- sacrifice himself?"
"He probably didn't intend to." Hideyo looked back at Miki's peaceful expression as he laid in the sand. "He wanted to live on till the very end, till Division-A was what we imagined it would be." She paused, glancing at his bullet wound. "I imagine that the adrenaline kept him alive long enough to bring you to safety."
Sakagami tilted her head onto Akino's shoulder as more tears strung down his face. His cheeks were tinted red, his eyes were reflective and puffy as he cried. He grabbed Miki's hand and squeezed it tight as a goodbye. Sakagami offered a brief smile as he did so, realizing that her method of comfort and reassurance carried on through the others.
"I'm sorry, Akino… Yukino," Makina apologized, keeping her distance. "He fought till the very end. Although, this isn't the end for us. We will keep fighting with him, Asuka, and Kiku in our memories. We live on because they gave their lives for us to do so."
Yukino wiped her eyes then stared at Akino, her hair disheveled and makeup smeared. "Hear that, Akino? Slacker, Asuka, Kiku… they died for you. They reside inside of you now." Akino's eyes widened, the immense pressure building as she continued. "You, we, have to succeed." She stopped to wiped her running nose. "We have to kill Matoi."
"What…?" Akino blurted out, horrified.
Makina came closer and patted Akino on the back, gripping his shoulder. "She's at fault for this," Makina blamed, her tone low and disappointed. "You're going to go through the other districts to kill Compactors and guide the people to safety. Meanwhile, Matoi and I will be off somewhere else… fighting to the death."
Akino shook his head, refuting her plan. "There's other people working with her. You can't! Do you see what they've done to Kiku and Miki? One shot and they're dead, Omega or not!"
"I have no choice, that's a risk I must take," Makina admitted. "Miki was a human, Kiku was on Stage One; Matoi and I aren't, so I should be fine."
"All the more reason we shouldn't split up," Akino declared. "You're our strongest ally, we'll get killed without you around. Also, if your plan is to fight Matoi by yourself, then it'll be you versus an army." Akino jumped up and grabbed Makina by the shoulders, his face riddled with a desperate yearning.
"Division-A is near total collapse," Sakagami interrupted, enlightening her son. "The Compactors have leveled nearly everything on the surface, forcing any survivors to take shelter underground. The only district that's still populated with living people is the Southwest peninsula. Other than that, we have nothing."
"We managed to get in contact with the remains of the military stationed at the peninsula. They've demolished the strip of land connecting them to the city so that Compactors wouldn't get in, that's how they're still alive," Hideyo explained.
"If there's still a surviving district out there, why didn't they come help us? I've been trapped down there for so long, I don't even know how many weeks have gone by," Akino said, impatience overcoming him as they explained the urgency of their situation.
"They've been busy fighting for themselves, but the Compactors keep coming." Makina answered, reflecting on the circumstances and the plan she devised with the others. The wind began to pick up on the shore, pushing Makina's purple braids behind her. "We're bringing you there to help. The peninsula is the only hope Division-A has to bounce back."
Akino sighed and looked down to the blood stained sand, and the smoke that drifted past it from the gaping hole in the ground. The sky was bleak, the bay was rough, the roads were decimated, the buildings had crumbled, the animals were dead. "If our future is in their survival…," he began, "…then I'll protect them. It's what they've would've wanted," he said as he glanced down at Miki.
Makina patted his back, nodding at him proudly. The rest of the crew stood up with him, listening closely to the rumbling of the sea. Abruptly, Yukino twisted her arms around and unhooked her jetpack, offering it to Akino with an exhausted smile.
"What are you doing?" Akino asked, keeping his distance from the equipment. "You need that."
She looked down at Miki, her arm still outstretched towards her friend. It is then when Akino understood. He grabbed her jetpack, and Yukino knelt down and lifted Miki up, unhooking his own and strapping it onto herself. She fastened it to fit her figure, and then nodded to convey her preparedness. Akino put Yukino's jetpack on and then looked to Hideyo for directions.
The wind chilled as it pushed against Akino's face. Flying through the clouds of smoke, Akino thought to himself. He looked down to his hand, his veins pulsing blue as his core kept up. Ahead, guiding his way, was Hideyo and Makina. Then, the smoke disappeared and the rising sun came into their sights. Circling around the ball of light was a white bird, its feathers dividing the rays of sun that illuminated the field of rubble below.
Akino watched closely, captivated by the mere size of the destruction that had ensued while he was trapped. Below mounds of concrete and collapsed roofs were the bloodied bodies of those who once lived. Children, adults, elders, and pets alike fell victim to the chaos that had unfolded. His eyes trailed over the ground, the shadow of the bird flying overhead lingering in his peripherals.
Suddenly, a sense of courageous hope overcame him. The destruction disappeared behind them as they flew over the sea. The sweet smell of salt water flooded into his nostrils, carried by the breeze bouncing off the crashing tide beneath their own shadows. He glanced to the side, noticing the white bird guiding the group like they were its flock. Akino, awed, stared ahead, noticing the tint of the sea getting lighter as the shore of the peninsula escalated.
"That's weird," Sakagami claimed. "Where did all of the Compactors go?"
A sinking feeling bubbled inside Makina's gut as she looked ahead. The peninsula, now turned island, start coming into view. Chunks of dirt and rock staggered out of the water like a trail guiding the survivors to the safety. Then, the island peaked over the horizon. Pillars of heavy smoke reached into the sky, bright fires igniting at their base. As they got closer, the sights of flipped tanks, defaced skyscrapers, splintered roads, and crushed bodies became clearer.
"No…," Yukino mumbled. Her eyes grew big and her pupils shrunk as the look of terror spread across her face. "…what is this…? The Compactors…"
They came in closer, noticing the titanic beasts stomping through the highways.
"…the Compactors are here!"
Thousands of horrified civilians ran through the streets as Compactors approached from the distance. Buildings collapsed around them, trapping countless people, as the creatures charged through them like a bull. The Compactors knelt down, scooping up the humans and forcing them into its mouth. It's teeth chomped down on the crowd, blood streaming down its chin and creating an ocean of entrails that flooded the streets.
Akino's blood boiled. His jetpack thrusted forward, launching him towards the district at an impossibly fast pace. Two destroyed skyscrapers leaned against each other, forming an unsteady arch welcoming him into the horror that was unfolding. Suddenly, he noticed a line of hooded individuals on either side of him crouched on the edge of the tilted buildings. Without a seconds notice, bullets started flying towards him.
'No! It's her allies! You're telling me they were stationed here before we got here? Impossible!'
A bullet flew through the side of Akino's jetpack as he tried to escape, blowing it to bits. Akino felt the weight on his back lifted, and he began falling to the ground. The thousands of running people became larger as he free-fell towards them. Then, he met land, two or three deceased innocents cushioning his fall.
Akino looked up, eager to get back to the sky. Bright red explosions lined the side of the buildings, each boom triggering the next. Hideyo flew out of the fire, grenades in her grasps as the others followed behind her. It wasn't long before his sight was obstructed and people pushed him out of the way, knocking Akino to the ground as they trampled over him.
"Why did they aim straight for Akino?" Sakagami asked as she flew over the crowd. "Why aren't they shooting these people instead?"
"That's what the Compactors are for!" Makina exclaimed, noticing Akino's blue and purple hair beneath the feet of the civilians. She straightened her back, focusing the emissions from her jetpack downward, blasting a hole around Akino and knocking everyone else to their feet. She quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him up, throwing him through the window of a nearby building for shelter.
Makina, Hideyo, Sakagami, and Yukino rushed into the building as well, panting. Akino climbed to his feet, exhausted. He wiped the footprints from his face and sniffled, preventing the blood from dripping out his nose. The people continued running past them, tripping over each other and screaming for their lives.
"What do we do?" Sakagami asked, her head racing with panic.
Hideyo looked out the hole where the window once was, examining the area. "Those people are here, and I counted about… t-twenty in the towers. They're dead now, but there's definitely others out there."
"I came to fight Compactors," Yukino whimpered, shaking her head in denial, "not humans."
"They're not humans," Akino stated. "They're not from here, they're from somewhere else outside of Division-A."
"That's impossible," Yukino assured. "The rest of the planet is deserted besides us. We're the only habitable place left."
Hideyo turned to face the group, her gaze low in shame. Butterflies tickled her stomach and her skin tingled as the words lingered in her mouth. Her heart raced and her head ached, plagued with the knowledge of what is waiting for them, unbeknownst to them. She forced her mouth open. "It's not."
Everyone turned to her, horrified.
"There's people outside of this place" Hideyo said, her voice cracking from the anxiety closing her throat. "The remnants of the world we ran away from… have come for revenge."
Makina's eyes were illuminated and locked on Hideyo. Her face was flushed and she gritted her teeth. "Why the hell are you just telling us about this now?"
Ashamed, Hideyo looked to her feet, feeling the blame weighing heavy on her shoulders as innocent people were massacred behind her. "…it was classified information. Only me and master knew."
Akino hesitated, not knowing if he wanted his question answered. "Are those the people… who kidnapped me?"
"Most likely," she agreed. "We did a bad thing a hundred years ago. The rest of the world turned against us and we fled. We went so long without being found…" Hideyo grabbed her head, tears of terror streaming down her face as reality sunk in. "…now we're paying for what we've done…"
Abruptly, Makina's fist landed into Hideyo's right cheek. Hideyo's body flung into the wall, fracturing it and nearly breaking Hideyo's back. Hideyo coughed up blood as she slid to the ground, her body aching, before Makina grabbed the collar of her shirt and pulled Hideyo up to her level.
"Makina!"
"What did you do?!" Makina shouted as bombs exploded in the distance. "What did you fuck up so bad that made them do this?!"
Hideyo winced, the cloth digging into the back of her neck as her legs swung. "I had n-nothing to do with it! It… it was Hetsu's mo-mother who started it," she stuttered, choking, "…who started w-world war… th-three."
"That's what Matoi meant…," Akino mumbled through the deafening explosions as pieces of the puzzle came into place. "Somebody referred to Matoi by a different name… Mia. That means that she's known about this… since the very start…"
Makina dropped Hideyo to the ground and strutted away, stopping in the doorframe as she observed the chaos. Massaging the nape of her neck, Hideyo continued to explain. "It was master's number one concern. The one thing that worried her the most was that the enemies would find us."
"Then why would they want Akino? What would he have to do with any of this?" Sakagami threw her hands around, desperately grasping for answers.
"I don't know…," Hideyo admitted. "All I know… is that we need to escape before they kill every last one of us."
"…and how would we do that?"
Suddenly, Makina's jetpack lit up and her muscles grew as Stage Two activated in her core. The tiles cracked beneath her heels from the weight of her strength, causing everyone to look her way. Makina stepped out into the crowded sidewalk, staring at the cannonballs firing towards the rooftops across the highway. Tanks surrounded the area, all firing in the same direction. The others walked out, curious of the target.
It is then when Matoi emerged from the billowing pillar of smoke and debris, the stripes on her uniform glowing as she slid down the shingles on the roof. Makina was frozen in place, her body unable to move from the sheer amount of fuming anger bubbling inside of her as she watched Matoi catch a cannonball in midair. The brunette nonchalantly tossed it back at the tank, turning it to smithereens.
"She's here…," Yukino mumbled in disbelief.
Akino waited for Makina to announce her plan, but she stayed silent. He leaned towards her, cautiously, knowing that silence in a moment like this was not in character for her. He reached his hand out, feeling the heat radiating from her body. "Makina?"
The sidewalk and corresponding road crumbled beneath her feet as she launched herself towards Matoi. The area was enveloped by steam as her jetpack catapulted Makina forward. Matoi turned her head, noticing the shining red light behind her. Swinging her weapon, Makina's blade cut through Matoi's neck- or it would have if it wasn't for Matoi slipping her hand in between it and her neck seconds before impact.
Matoi jumped back, dodging the twisted rebar and broke furniture falling from the skyscraper next to them. Makina sliced through them, staying closely behind her opponent. She swung her weapon again, but Matoi arched her back to avoid it, also providing room for a cannonball to smash through Makina's body and reduce her to flames.
"No, god damn it!" Akino screamed, stumbling out the door and forcing his way through the crowds. Sakagami chased after him, desperately reaching for his hand as they got shoved through the panicking crowd intercepting them.
Matoi stared at the funnel of smoke penetrating through the roof of the building she stood upon, panting as she regained her composure. Wiping the blood off her cheek, Matoi said, "I'm sorry, Makina. I didn't want this to be your end…"
"Like hell it is!!!" Makina jumped through the smoke, her clothes torn and skin scorched. Matoi ran back, not anticipating her to survive the blow. Makina cut deep into Matoi's back, exposing her exhausted core. Before Makina was able to destroy it, Matoi spun around with the robotic blade in her grasps.
"Give up already, Makina! It's inevitable!" Matoi demanded as their swords clashed. "Escaping Division-A as an Omega is impossible! You're doomed to this life of war and corpses!" Matoi dropped to the floor, dodging another attack. Using the opportunity, Matoi grabbed Makina by the ankles and swung her off the roof and into a tank, crushing it.
"You can't avenge those who died in World War Three…," Makina immediately jumped off the tank and ran up the building, avoiding Matoi's gunfire, "…by starting World War Four!"
Matoi seized fire, taken by shock. She leaned back as Makina approached, watching her arrive in slow-motion as the world paused after that quote. 'How does she know that…? Did her memories return?'
Taking advantage of Matoi's stunted movement, Makina threw herself on top of her, sending them rolling down the roof. They landed near the gutter, Makina's blade against Matoi's throat and Matoi's gun aimed at Makina's head. "Open your eyes, you're repeating history!"
"You…," Matoi mumbled, absolutely blown away by Makina's audacity, "…bastard!!!" Before Matoi had the opportunity to press the trigger, a broken sword flew into the gun and knocked it out of her hand. "What?!"
Hideyo, with one less sword, and Akino stood at the top of the roof, looking down on Matoi and Makina. Akino slid down towards Matoi, not forgetting who she used to be. But Makina, not leaving room for failure, embraced Matoi and rolled off the side of the building. Akino ran to the edge, watching as Makina flew away with Matoi.
"What is she doing…?" Akino asked, the breeze from Makina's jetpack blowing the debris away.
Hideyo bent over and picked up Matoi's gun, pulling her sword out before tossing the gun to the streets. "I think she made it quite clear. This moment is for Makina alone. She's… going to try convince Matoi to stop this."
"What? I thought she was going to kill her," Akino said, the wind blowing the smoke in his face.
"Now that Makina is aware of Matoi's motivation, she's going to use that to sway her. Or… get under her skin," Hideyo assumed. "No matter what, one of them isn't going to make it out of this alive."
"Matoi's motivation…," Akino repeated under his breath, pondering the idea.
Suddenly, Akino's head was filled with agonizing pain. His vision blurred in and out as his nightmares sped through his brain like memories. A purple and blue glow in the sky, a decimated world below, a man.
Hideyo held Akino up, gently trying to shake him back to consciousness as Sakagami and Yukino met them on the rooftops. Akino's eyes slowly fluttered open into a horrifying expression as a realization reached him. He looked out in the distance, watching as the trail of steam left from Makina's jetpack dissipated.
"The dream...," he whispered, "it was real. Hideyo... you said that we ran away... from where?"
Before Hideyo could speak, a bullet flew past the four of them. Hideyo quickly grabbed the three of them and jumped off the roof, landing on the sidewalk a few feet down. As bullets continued to rain down on them, Hideyo pulled the others up and ushered them inside.
"They found us already?" Sakagami shouted, frustrated.
"Guys, we need to stick to the plan. Kill as many Compactors as we can and rescue everyone!" Yukino demanded as an explosive brought down the building in front of them.
"Sure, but I don't have a jetpack! They ruined it," Akino explained.
The debris from the collapsing building flew into the building. The others coughed and covered their mouths as the clouds rushed in. Vision was interrupted by the smog, reducing the environment to nothing but a dense haze. Suddenly, sparks of blue flew past them- bullets. The group panicked and ran around for an exit. Akino stumbled his way through the store, coughing violently as he listened to the screams of his comrades.
Then, one of the screams disappeared. Akino backed further into the smog, unsure of where to run when he tripped over something behind him. He tumbled to the ground, managing to catch his fall before he rested his eyes on Yukino's limp body. As dread raced through his veins, Akino picked her up and shook her awake, noticing a puddle of blood that pooled around her head. His hands trailed her forehead, coming across a deep indent beside the ear.
Sakagami grabbed Akino by the collar and started pulling him towards the presumed exit as bullets flew past them. Akino continued clinging onto Yukino, feeling her faint breaths against his skin. Hideyo held the door open for them, immediately slamming it shut after Sakagami successfully pulled them out into a back alley.
Hideyo and Sakagami stared at the two, stunned. Akino embraced Yukino from the back, desperately shielding her from the previous gunfire. Blood trickled down Yukino's head, dying her shirt red. Sakagami immediately knelt down and lifted up Yukino's white bangs, searching for the wound.
"She isn't shot… is she…?" Akino asked, dreading the answer as he clung to her.
Sakagami shook her head, hovering her hand over the bloody indent in Yukino's skull. "No… but this is a serious injury. Yukino, are you okay? Can you move, talk?"
The flicker in Yukino's teary eyes were weak at best. Her skin was pale and her body was numb as all the blood rushed to her head. Yukino winced as she nodded, the pain rushing in like a tidal wave. "A piece of debris or something must've fallen on me… and hit my head. It's painful, but I think I can still move if I keep my mind off of it…"
"Oh, thank god!" Akino said, tightening his embrace around Yukino's stomach. "If you were shot… I-…"
A bullet flew through the back door and blasted a hole into the stone wall just inches from Akino and Yukino's head. Hideyo immediately spun around and jerked her sword out of its sheath, chucking the spinning blade straight at the gunman. The sword landed straight between his eyes, making him fall from the rooftop where he stood and collapse in front of the four.
"If you can move then we need to go!" Hideyo declared as she ripped the sword from the gunman's skull and returned it to the sheath on her back.
"Where are we going to go? This entire district has gone to shit, our plan is ruined!" Sakagami exclaimed, fear tingling through her spine. "Nothing is going how we planned… H-how am I going to protect Akino if…"
Akino helped Yukino to her feet, his sorrowful gaze focused on his mother, who was hugging herself as she shook from fear. Tears rolled down her dirty face as she bit her lip, the uncertainty of her and her son's future starting to become guaranteed. Akino let Yukino rest against the wall as he went to grab Sakagami by the shoulder, reassuring her of his determination.
"There's a broadcasting center a mile or two away from here," Hideyo resumed. "If it isn't flattened or on fire, then we can use it to send a message to the people. We'll make them take shelter in the subways underground, a place where the Compactors can't reach. Matoi's crew doesn't care about them, just Akino."
"I'm not letting you guys use my son as bait again," Sakagami refused, stepping in front of Akino.
"He won't be. While the citizens are in hiding, we can use that opportunity to preserve Division-A and its people while we force the others out, tearing out Matoi's core and crushing it in the process. With this, our victory is promised."