User blog:Roinelll/God Eater Next - Volume 1 - Segment 12

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======== G. E. N. - 1 - 12

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Many, many thousands. Both the times Jack had this dream, and the amount of the spiderlike Aragami flooding the unit he served in. He relived the horror of that particular day, where by his collection death was imminent. The man knew exactly what is going to happen in the next moments, but even if he knew what is about to come stopping it was impossible. Trapped inside his own body, watching from the inside his own actions.

Something that didn't happen before was taking place. As the living flood of the Cluegels swept over them, as if on cue the biggest part of the horde washed away everyone except three of them. There they stood Gregor and Liane alongside him, flailing under the carpet of monstrous imitations of spiders. Fighting desperately the three of them tried to persevere. Then once again like on a cue, even the ones engaging them vanished in a swift motion.

The battered remains of the unit looked at each other, each one of them in a way or another being worse off than the rest. That is when the legs of Jack buckled and he fell backwards. However relief was far away as he heard the young God Eater scream, with fear he turned towards them and saw the horrible scene. The boy was thrashing around, a horrific sound departing from his lungs as the deed of the Aragami started to take it's effect.

The man knew quite well what is happening right now, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from the macabre sight. Dark ooze bubbled from the wounds of Gregor and that very ooze seemed to engulf him more and more. While doing so the body of the God Eater started to swell, deform and turn from humane first to something closely resembling one and eventually that was becoming more and more horrific.

Another scream sounded nearby and Jack jerked his head towards Liane, the one who was clutching her right lower arm. Not far from the woman drenched in blood he saw the rest of what was once hers. It took a few moments to understand that she had done in desperation a most disturbing act, ripping the right lower arm off the one containing the Control Armlet fused to it.

"Not like that. Anything, but that." Her voice trembled seeing as the lower arm started to bubble and emit the same dark ooze as did the boy before. Jack was speechless, unable to say anything or react in any way. A roar echoed throughout the warehouse they had occupied and that made him realize he forgot something. Behind the pained God Eater, a form emerged. No longer resembling anything human there stood a being that was once known as Gregor. As the looming form descended on the helpless victim suddenly the man found himself shaking uncontrollably. Not only he couldn't will to stop it, but on his shoulders he was feeling a strange pressure that finally forced him to open his eyes.

Being uncomfortable about ripping him suddenly out of his nightmare the Instructor reached for the one holding his shoulder, and lept up from his position from the ground. Not letting the arm loose before putting his weight in the throw he flinged the perpetrator away almost instantly without even thinking through what he was doing.

"You know Jack, you look like a Gboro-Gboro chewed on you and eventually found it disgusting to devour you." The one who he had thrown was a member of Hold, Edina Remény. Someone who had found it quite to her liking to mess around with him too often to his liking. She landed softly even though he took her by surprise.

"What are you doing here, Gnat?" Finally being able to separate reality from a dream the Instructor eyed the mischievous girl. She worse something that couldn't be easily called clothes, since more like rags would have been a more perfect way to describe them. Rags that while did cover her femine features let more than enough to be seen and she often did fool around doing such, trying to cause scene within the others present.

"Now seriously, did you try to ask that Gboro-Gboro to give you advices on furnishing this room? 'cause it looks like it failed, now I wonder where it could have gone. Would like some fun with it myself." The long and dark haired girl chided him with a giggle, her red eyes fixed on his.

"GNAT!!" Jacks eye twitched, he disliked such things. Aside from the Nuissance the only person who went literally on his nerves was this 'god send'.

"Okay jokes aside, did you propose to it yet?" Holding up both arms defensively she first tried to be frank, yet that didn't quite happen. Edina burst out in laughter as she followed up her own self-titled good joke.

"Why the hell are you here?!" Irritation started to spike inside the Instructor as he eyed her.

"You've been gone for a year and you ask?" She finally turned serious. To a point that for a moment Jack was thinking he didn't hear it right.

"What?" Multiple thoughts raced through his mind, each more chaotic than the one previously.

"Joking, joking. Come to the ground level and make it quick." Seeing the perplexed man, the girl escaped the room before being able to be inquired about more things. With that Jack showed aside anything related to her and the recent, but already mostly forgotten nightmare and made his way towards the elevator. Once there he headed towards the operators stand.

"Edina just contacted him, please wait a while until the Director arrives." Katalin didn't notice the man yet and informed the one on the other end of the line.

"So Snobby is coming too?" The Instructor bemused halfway to himself out loud, when from the sides suddenly someone stormed him.

"Jack!! You wouldn't believe what is happening!!" An agitated God Eater greeted the man, one of the twins to be exact.

"Relax Lexa, Gnat told me I'm being summoned." Still being sour about the awakening that the Vanguard gave him, he marched onward towards his initial goal.

"But you have to--" Although the God Eater tried to tell him something, he just played one of his fingers across the lips to silence her.

"Not now. Katie, I'm here finally..." Standing in front of the girl he got a nod in turn, and a scowl from the twin.

"Yes, yes. He did just arrive, I'll tell him. Jack, too much happened too fast, but you need to get out and meet with Mr. Max." After reassuring the other side, Katalin broke the connection and turned with a serious expression to the man clad in dark.

"Oy?! The Big Boss himself?! We need to ge--" Caught surprised once again, he tried to think about how to get as fast as possible to meet him.

"No Jack, outside... He is outside of Hole even at this moment, actually was waiting a few dozen minutes ago for you." Lexa interrupted him with a pout.

"... Oy?!" This day was about to get weirder and weirder as Jack mused about it.

"Just go outside already." Both of the females nudged him, and in a short while he did so. As he left the entrance he did see one of the Fenrir issue helicopters nearby, so he took direction towards it.

"..out doing this?" His ears picked up a part of a sentence coming from the flying machine itself.

"Do you have a better idea? What Lady E pulled was... shocking." This voice he did recognize, it belonged to none other than the one who Fenrir belonged to currently.

"We have no proof that she was involved." The other displayed his dismay about this topic.

"Yeah right, it's just like that for Dumont Vermillion to-- Oh here he comes." Finally he was being recognized and the two of them exited the vehicle. Well he aged, the man in charge that is. Last time he saw him there was still vibrant color in his hair, though 10 years is a long time. Now he shoot completely devoid of any color in hair, but ever so energetic as it seemed. The face was apparently still smiling as much as usual, the wrinkles so evident of it and not only caused by old age.

He wore a simple dark purple shirt and a similarly colored short. While Jack would question his usually strange taste of color choices, he did not do so as it was not the time and place to do it. The one on his other side was similarly of older age, yet retained most of his dark brown hair color with a few grey stripes. And similarly to the one beside him, that man's clothing consisted of a single color. White, his shirt, the trousers and the lab coat over them.

"Big Boss?! And... ?" Jack reached his bandaged right arm forward and shook the extended hand of the older tycoon.

"Reinhardt, Erik Reinhardt." The researcher introduced himself shortly, yet refusing a handshake.

"Oh, you're the guy who tried to sneak away during that meeting." Straightening up the Instructor recalled the event and under his mask grimaced.

"I had an urgent meeting to attend to and Max knows that quite well, He was with me on that afterall." Albeit declaring that defensively, the Instructor did feel the edge of hostility inside the tone.

"Oy... I'm sorry for the misjudgement. So, what can I be of service?" Scratching his chin he decided to apologize, no reason to make enemies of this unknown person. Yet.

"You wanted to become the Director, so now you have the chance. With this you'll be appointed officially." The elder man put a hand on his shoulder and playfully boxed into his other one with his right fist.

"And Snobby?" Not quite understanding his sudden promotion, the dark-clad man asked about his superior. Well previous superior as things now stood.

"If you are referring to that retard, he tried to perform a Coup D'etat and failed miserably. And since you did want to apply for the post, Max here seems to give it to you instead of selecting a more suitable host." Clearly conveying that he was against such an act the man who introduced himself as Reinhardt explained.

"What? Wait... What did you say?" Hearing such news he was even more suprised than to see the big man in person.

"Reinhardt, I already told you it wasn't Dumont who planned it. Lady E was behind it again!" The elder reprimanded the somewhat younger companion.

"No proof for that one, as usual and this mysterious Lady E of yours is even more annoying." Still defiant on the case the researcher stood his ground.

"Oy... I'm lost." Jack on the hand gave up

"You know quite well just as I do that we have nothing on her, yet everything points in that very direction!" They continued the argument without taking heed to the Instructor, apparently this had been going on for a while between them.

"Yeah, like there would be anyone trying to collapse Fenrir existing! That would literally spell the end of Humanity!" The gaze of Jack shifted between the two of them, trying to figure out what they were talking about, but so far nothing came to light.

"You've not met with Lady E then." With a sigh the man in charge crossed his arms defiantly, this made the Instructor realize he knew something else that he wasn't eager to reveal.

"And you claim that you did, but cannot prove it. Ridiculous." A triumphant, yet mocking laughter was accompaning the answer of Reinhardt.

"If I weren't afraid of the consequences of breaking a contract with her, I would GLADLY tell you about many things pertaining that person." Folding his arms even faster an even deeper sigh left the elder.

"You... Max, one of the mightiest people left on Earth is afraid of a human. Ridiculous, I say." Using a nickname his superior earned literally by birth the researcher tried to break through his defiancy. The full name of his was Medin Albert Xavier, ofter shortened to Max.

"This kind of veered off-topic, didn't it? So why did you come here Big Boss? I mean, you could have easily just sent a mail, or someone else." Scrachting his chin once again, Jack tried to reinstate things that he could at least get a grip on.

"I've heard information of Lady E being sighted here." Looking aside the man in charge stated his reason for appearance.

"And a thousand other places aswell, Max you are chasing phantoms." Reinhardt was still adamant about his position.

"Phantoms might do wear hoods, but wouldn't demand Millions from you for a simple answer!" Fearing that he might have said too much already, the man in charge was eyeing his surroundings nervously.

"Oy... C?!" Finally making the connection the Instructor was struck, E as in Edelein, as she revealed the name to him. A sharp pain suddenly appeared and in a flash similarly dissapeared in his head by that thought.

"Excuse me? Jack! You know her?! Did you meet with Lady E?" Suddenly he was grabbed by the shoulder by Max.

"E... Yes I met with her." Almost speaking the full name in surprise, yet somehow feeling that the retribution the Big Boss feared would hit him hard didn't complete. After all he did make contracts with her aswell. As he once again recalled the girl another painful spike came.

"There. Hah! See Reinhardt?! She is not a phantom." Triumphantly the elder declared turning towards Reinhardt.

"What did that Chit do now?" Now he could put things together, but if those were right then that girl did something really foolish. Actually being glad that his face was covered with the hood and underneath the dark mask he grimaced as another painful surge came.

"Like I said, she instigated the previous Director to try a Coup D'etat on Fenrir, but that ploy failed." This surpised Jack, as Max once again repeated himself. However what was really shocking that she partook in something as a Coup D'etat willingly. Although she did claim to have a price for anything, Jack though that most probably she just sold the information for the Snobby bastard who tried to use it for his own personal gain.

"Oy..." The Instructor facepalmed, partially to hide his staggering motion as an even bigger rush of torment came over him.

"That blumbering fool cannot even think straight, not even directly answer a question. Especially if you try to ask about that phantom, you can't even connect her to him even if that Lady E of your is truly real." Reinhardt on the other was still adamant about his position, since without a proof they were still unable to question her.

"That freaking happens if you break her contract! Your mind literally breaks apart, dammit. Don't you understand why am I reluctant to reveal such informations?" And once again he pushed probably on the borders of such revelations, Max feared for his own self that maybe he said this time too much.

"Come again?! I mean Big Boss, you've also pacted with that 'Devil'?" Another pair of connections were made as he understood the wording of the superior from earlier. Followed with another couple of headaches.

"Devil huh? Quite fitting, quite... maybe too much. But yes, I had to." Not really going to clarify himself about it, and by the looks of it Jack understood the reasons. He wouldn't dare to do it either, apparently the way she tried to pressure his 'partners' to keep in line was by giving them an unreasonable monetary penalty. However in reality to resolve to such imhumane methods, it was quite unthinkable and extremely brutal at the same time.

"Let's get back to why we really came here, do you mind Max?" Seeing as the two of them finally found a unified topic, albeit one that had no merit to him the Researcher guided the converstaion back to the original flow. Something that even Jack was quite happy as he tried to chase away the thought of that girl, which by his perception was somehow instigating his hellish headaches.

"No, you're right. Reinhardt here will move in to supervise the Next Project personally, he had gotten an earlier breakthrough than was anticipated, and while much time was gained the last phase is still being prooftested. So until the extra time passes, I've advised him to better get comfortable here." The Instructor for a moment had an enourmous headache, but that quickly subsided. Something sparked it in him, yet what it was he didn't know.

"He means to have me transferred to such a god forgotten place." With a sigh, a defeated one the researcher translated the sentence to what he understood from it.

"The Aragami would have a few words to that." Jack wrily reminded him that at some parts of the world they were heralded as bewildered gods, hence the name of Aragami.

"You know just how I intended that Mr. Durante. Even if you are a Director at such a hellhole, I'm still the lead researcher of Fenrir HQ. Mind your place." The Instructor snickered, originally they did call the place 'Hellhole', and Fissure and Pit was also named after such. Though with the passing of the time, only 'Hole' remained. Not knowing the reason for mocking him the researcher ignored the man clad in dark.

"Big Boss, can I shut this guy up?" Suddenly he turned to the superior and asked with all sincerity.

"Don't do anything stupid, Jack." Fearing that the inactive God Eater might do something rash, the elder tried to stop him before something turns out foul.

"I meant that, I want the same treatment as before. If I get trought the process, I'll have the reins and someone other takes the responsibility. Well since Snobby left, why not give the right to Mr. High and Mighty?" While getting to become a Director just as he wished to was sure great and all, however he was never someone to lead nor organize. That would become easily an enourmous and unsurmountable burden on him, something that the Instructor wanted to avoid.

"Jack?" Getting surprised by the answer he gave, the old man had gotten a bit confused.

"So you say, that I can be the Director of this du.. bious place, while you have all the benefits? Ridiculous." Now the one to snicker was Reinhardt. Such a foolish proposal.

"You can be the Director, I believe you have far more better management skills than I will ever have with you actually being the lead researcher for Fenrir HQ. I just want to have the right to say yes or no to anything you would want to do with the lives of both Hole and Pit, and if you do wonder I'll only say no if something would endanger the lives of them. Other than that, I'll be trudging through the hordes of Aragami to safekeep your butt. Sounds interesting to you yet?" Partially kissing up to him, and explaining his reasoning Jack tried to convince the other man of the benefits he could get from such a post.

"Basically, you want to make me your lapdop and you just want to exterminate Aragami? Remind me why did the previous one leave?" Although Reinhardt did acknowledge some of the points he brought up and even those that he didn't which would come with such a position, there was something that was nerving him.

"We had some conflicts, for the last few years that is. He handled the human resources poorly, and while we didn't have actual losses the fool came too close to it more than enough times to fill a dozen glasses." The man in dark remembered all those incidents, and for each one he did submit his own report on the cases. But since the backing of the previous Director was way stronger than his own single power could handle, there had been no changes in charge.

"Max, you wanted this man to have the reins like that?" With a sigh the researcher turned to the Big Boss seeking an answer.

"The other condition was should I kick the bucket any time, the one who was working as a pair with me being the Director will have full rights transferred to him or her." And it came from Jack himself, something that made Reinhardt go 'hmm'.

"Oh... Well, then show me my room." Accepting such a weird proposal he gestured towards the entrance of Hole.

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End of Chapter 2015,07,28

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