User blog:Yuka Ichinose/God Eater: Infinity Paradise, Chapter 19

''Here you go, Roi... :V''

"Ah, good morning, Soma!" Hibari greeted as said God Eater closed in to the mission counter. "There are quite a number of missions available for taking."

He silently leafed through the available quests. It had been days since Lindow's... disappearance, and life was forced to flow normally for everyone in the Far East. The Search Unit could barely find a lead, or even any hint of their leader's current state and location. What the hell... They should do a better job. Of course the First Unit could, but with their higher-ups telling them to focus instead on retaliation, do they even have a choice?

"Eh? But..." The operator eyed the companion Soma had listed down. It was weird in its own way because: 1) He doesn't usually do that -- accepting missions with a partner; 2) The person he had listed down had just been with him on a mission before this one, and; 3) That same person is currently unavailable. "You should take a bit of rest every once in a while, Soma. You just finished one with Yuka, didn't you?"

Soma's lips were agape. "... What?" In the smallest amount of words he could manage, he explained to said operator how he'd never seen his partner since this morning, and she never said a word about having a mission with him. Hibari was as confused as he was. She returned to her computer, informing him that said God Eater hadn't logged back in to deposit any extracted core or report about 'their' mission.

"I thought you'll be the one to do so," added Hibari, a worried expression now drawn all over her face. "I-I'm sorry. She said she has a mission with you and will take the initiative of informing you regarding it, but-"

"Which one was it?" He quickly demanded. Look at all the fucks he give on listening to explanations. None. Well, damn, Yuka did it again, and she's sure to get a good punishment for it this time! He was even more surprised to hear the answer: "According to her, it was a special mission." Verdammt. She really knows her way with things. Even Hibari has no access to those top secret information. Of course she wouldn't know the location or the Aragami in the area.

''Damn that brat. She better not be dead.''

God Arc in hand, feet on the ground. Soma practically tore his way through the multitude of Ogretails and Zygotes cluttering the area, and coming towards him. They were easy, cores ripped off in a single smash. He whipped his head over to another one springing from behind him, and tore its head away from the rest of its body. He'd been into many missions full of littering Ogretails that needs extermination, and this one isn't alien to him. There is nothing unusual about this mission, except for the fact that if Yuka was here, she should have exterminated a large amount of these Aragamis...

... Or die trying.

The thought was immediately shook off his head, as his blade effortlessly went through the back of a Zygote, blood splattering in all directions in a huge mess. He wouldn't accept death by an Ogretail, most especially for her. That's stupid! (Eric was a different story. End of conversation.) So far, he hadn't seen any signs of anybody catching their final breaths -- a damaged armlet, or a God Arc bathing in blood or broken, or a human body heavily mutilated and satisfying the hunger of these Aragamis around.

A deafening screech emanated from above, bringing Soma's divided attention back to where it is much more needed. At times, he really regrets his negative way of thinking. It makes him angrier, more infuriated, more depressed when he shouldn't even, as it only disrupts his work. Even worse, it forces his brain to go haywire, and think of nothing but just swing his blade at anything and everything that even dares to take another inch closer to him -- which is exactly what he does right now.

"First it was Eric. Now it's Lindow?"

The male gritted his teeth.

"So, the rumours were actually true?"

Another Zygote shrieked in pain, landing on the ground with a loud thud. Its mouth gaped open and close, and eventually let out another bloodcurdling scream as Soma angrily put its life to an end. "Dammit..." He cursed, lips apart for heavy breaths. Mass murdered Aragamis but still no sign of any other life other than his.

"Another martyr from Soma's team..."

"Well, shit's about to go down," the male hissed, just as he forced his feet off the ground to feed his God Arc more cores.

"Oh, hey..."

Soma's lips were partially apart, chest continuously moving as he made attempts to catch his breath. Even his shoulders kept the rise-and-fall action, in sync with his breathing. His hands were close to going numb, but still held the rather large weapon in them. His legs felt like they were ready to give out any moment soon. He even doubt it could last supporting his weight much longer. His face was covered in sweat. And, after all that effort, he couldn't believe the greeting he received sounded like she was expecting him -- like it was casual for him to be in there.

She stood in the center of the chamber, her entire figure shadowed by light pouring in from the large opening behind her. His gaze refused to leave her. The assault top she wore, still in fashion with her red color scheme, carefully traced the curves of her torso, hanging just above her waist, like its predecessor had. Two looped belts loosely hugged her hips, carrying with them two pockets. Filled with ammo, he guessed. Other than that light change, there was nothing else to point out but the look plastered on her face. Her dull blue eyes blankly stared at him, lips pursed to a straight line. Despite the darkness shadowing her face, he clearly could see that it was unusually pale. "You have something to explain."

The pointed end of Knightfall dug deep into the flooring of the church. Whether it was in response to what he had said, or she simply wanted to do that in her own will, it was really hard to tell, especially if her lips refused to part for any words. Fragments scattered around the hole the blade had created. However, Yuka appeared to be unsatisfied of what she had done. The process was repeated, this one with a much greater force, causing the blade to dig a little deeper than its first attempt.

The buzzing sound Soma thought had been ringing on his ears finally died out. What? It really was gone. And after he inferred he was sick or something. "... Hah...?" His eyes returned to Yuka, whose expression didn't change.

"Just as I thought," she finally spoke, her voice hoarse.

Soma sought a proper explanation.

"True that Aragamis had been gathering in the Far East for reasons unknown, but then... don't you find it odd for them to suddenly spring out of nowhere?" The God Arc was once again raised, transforming to its Blast Gun form. What she is up to now, he had not even the slightest idea. Different names flashed on the placeholder: Shadow Haze, Blz Laser, Frz Laser, Spk Laser, Thunderball, Meteor Rain. Yuka stopped fiddling with the button upon seeing the name BAH appear. Not really the best fitting name for a situation that is being kept serious.

That very little chamber was enveloped in a thick smoke as the loud explosion died out in split second. Although he was certain he had obliterated every Aragami in vicinity, Soma refused to let his guard down, as others might get attracted by the loud noise and come jumping in from the smoke. Slowly, it began to thin out and he was able to recognize her silhouette once more, not even moving. Rock fragments scattered around, along with a few metal scraps and pieces of technology Soma is way too familiar with. Broken metal rings, glass shards, and other scraps that would surely find a way in the junk, or if lucky enough, Licca's stash of items to be reused. The large crater by Yuka's feet held what remained of the technology from the attack.

She mumbled a few words under her breath.

"Is that...?"

This time, her brows furrowed in a hint of anger, teeth gritted. "A guiding device."

Tsubaki was surprisingly calm when they had returned to the Den, although her eyes hinted the great rage building up inside her, ready to explode at the push of a wrong button. And Yuka was taking the lecture in an equal amount of calmness as well. She would often pout and cross her arms like a child whenever this happens, but today is just different. "You disobeyed orders, and tampered the mission data, just to go sneak out of the Den for your own selfish desire," the older was saying. "What if something happened and no one knew where you were?"

"But nothing happened," was the blonde's meek reply.

The reason behind this sudden change is an issue known to everyone: Lindow's disappearance. Sakuya being depressed, Alisa's incapacity, Yuka acting different like this... No one thought a single man's absence could result in such a large-scale effect.

"The Committee has spoken. They're not going to tolerate such act."

2071, August 19

''Suspension. God Arc confiscation. Entrapment in a small room with nothing but a bed and a table. Even access to the Terminal had been forbidden. Until this is over, the records and reports would have to be kept somewhere else.''

''What was the guiding device doing there, I can't tell, though I'd have to praise whoever placed it there for a job well done. Surely, in the heat of a battle, it is impossible to pay attention to details that barely stand out. I would have to pay more attention to the surroundings from now on.''

She paused, stared blankly at the wall just across her temporary bed, but said no word.

Though I highly doubt it will happen ever again, unless...

"Unless what?"

The voice made Yuka shriek in surprise -- like she had just seen a big, flying, cockroach -- and she dropped the recorder and kicked it by accident. The item skidded in between the metal bars of the cell and by the foot of Sakuya Tachibana. The Vice Captain picked it up and turned the recording off. The blonde sighed as the other stepped closer to the bars that stood in her way, slipping the recorder for Yuka to take.

Kota was the first to speak up. "When we learned you were down here, we really got worried!" Fingers gripped on the cold, slender bars, him attempting to squeeze his face into the cell, making every single word of his slightly muffled. "What happened?"

"And after I thought you would be the goody-two-shoes in the Unit," sighed Sakuya.

Yuka pouted and shrugged, looking over to where her comrades stood, Sakuya's hand with the recorder still hanging past the bars. "I went out to investigate the Soma way, but it looks like unless you are related to the Director by blood, you'd be called disobedient and locked up." She finally took what Sakuya had been holding for too long. "In addition to that, I got suspended for nothing." It looked like Sakuya didn't believe her, but she said no word to prove so. This time, Yuka diverted the conversation to a different topic, "How is everything going?"

"Declared MIA," Lenka answered, his eyes clearly showing how against he was regarding the decision. "Lindow was declared MIA. According to them, with the signal of his armlet disappearing, his chances of survival is... zero."

"That's not bollocks," she replied. "If the armlet becomes dysfunctional, it will put its beacon into great trouble. Wielding a God Arc in that condition could result to the uncontrolled spread of Oracle Cells in the human body. That's common knowledge," she added, turning to Kota who appeared to be surprised at the information. "You don't know?" Kota shook his head.

The look on the boys' faces was grim.

"But..." She and Sakuya said in unison. They both paused, and Yuka eventually nodded at her to proceed. "... there's still hope that we can hold onto, right? It might be the year 2071, a decade of despair, but miracles would never cease to exist, like Lindow's faith to God." She patted both boys' heads.

"And Alisa?"

Sakuya shook her head. "She's still stuck in the Sick Bay with the doctors, and visitors aren't allowed as of now. Not completely well yet."

Their Unit of seven had been down to four, right at the time when new and strong Aragami species are littering the Far East. "That leaves the Den counting on you then," she finally said. "Good luck." Upon assuring that they were out of earshot, she tossed the recorder to the foam of her bed and slumped down on the furniture, kicking her legs back and forth. From the corner of her eyes, she stared at the metal bars once more, before letting out a tired sigh and falling back down, eventually letting her back rest against the walls of the cell. "So... that's how a guiding device works."

The lone visitor that had long been lurking in the shadows finally stepped into her field of vision, causing a smirk to make an appearance on her lips. Hands on his pockets, he peered at the occluded figure that continued to speak. "Rather than 'guide', it more or less pulls the Aragamis close to it, in such a force that they could never resist."

"How did you find it then?"

"By following it," came her casual answer. "As soon as I stepped in there, it was pulling me real hard that it got too annoying I subconsciously sought to destroy it. I wanted to destroy it. Perhaps..." Her head hung low as she stared down at her hands. "... It's because I'm part Aragami? I do remember the Aragamis in the area are more agitated than they usually are."

That one was pretty damn obvious though. The guiding devices were meant for Aragamis, weren't they? Of course- His thoughts momentarily came to a stop, him looking back at her. Indeed, their bodies are part Aragami, but shouldn't that...

"Which reminds me," she began, forcing his thoughts to be dismissed. "That probably was how you find me, huh?"

He answered a quick and cold 'No'. It was simply a matter of thinking. "I guessed you'd have no reason to escape from the Den lest you are investigating what happened with Lindow. As simple as that. Don't expect that it was because we have this strange bond, as you call that cliché scheiße, or the guiding device."

"Eh? You mean I've been rambling about the guiding device and you don't even know what I was talking about?!"

She was pounded by another stone-cold NO, much to her embarrassment.

Turning away from her now, he called out, "But don't ever pull that kind of shit again..." His words faded out as a name she thought he had forgotten slipped past. In attempt to clarify what she had heard, her face collided hard with the metal bars, eyes trying to catch even a glimpse of him. Though, he had already gone too far. "Hey, Soma! Say it again!"

ACCESS DENIED

He cursed, but made another attempt.

''VERIFYING... ACCESS DENIED.''

The screen flashed an annoying shade of red, so he decided to simply log out. Accessing the datas were too impossible, as they were heavily secured for unknown reasons. What should Fenrir even be keeping from them?

OPENING ARCHIVES...

He waited.

- Photos - Videos - Mission Logs - ID Card > Documents

"What is this?" Eyes squinted at the foreign file, probably the only thing 'stolen' from the recent failed attempts. The file name itself was a mix of numbers and characters, which only made it even more suspicious. Reluctantly, he opened the file.

It was easy to scroll through the horde of characters and numbers and symbols. It was most probably a corrupted file, or the process of stealing it had broken the file itself. There was nothing of any importance in the document he found, filled with @s and &s and everything else beyond human thinking. "What a waste," he mumbled.

Although, a text -- a readable text -- in between the incomprehensible clutter of characters, somewhere by the end of the file. He gritted his teeth, as he read on.

''Judging from the gathered information, the subject clearly shows positive results. Any of the assumed physical effect still hasn't shown, which is another good sign. And it doesn't seem like the subject itself is unaware of the ongoing process. If this goes on perfectly according to the plan, I might not have any use for the original.''

"The original...? The original what?"

He tried to scroll down further, but the document has reached its end, leaving him with more questions than the answers he had gotten. It seemed like something is being cooked up. Whether the corrupted introduction was to divert the attention from the rest of the text in the file, only the true author of the file could answer that. And he'd be damned to ask about it. Surely, the details of this "experiment", whatever it is, would not be shared to him. He can't just go ask: "Director, what is this PRJSNG@65 file I found on your PC?" In addition to that, it is not in his nature to do so. The others surely aren't aware of this either.

DELETE THE FILE? > YES   - NO

FILE DELETED.

He then logged out of the terminal, exiting the room.

"PRJSNG, huh..."