User blog:Roinelll/God Eater Next - Volume 1 - Segment 09

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A few minutes passed as Chotte revealed part of what she knew to Jack. While he was digesting the information the Instructor understood that it is most probably not everything, but she already cost him too much.

"I have some other questions if you don't mind. And if possible can you skip the charging thing? My creds took a serious dip already." With a sigh he rubbed his chin.

"First pay up, it was 1.550.000 Fc to reveal this info! And don't forget the 35.000 Fc from earlier this time. But I'll be vague, is that alright for you?" The girl nodded and a grin spread on the part of her unhidden face.

"Sure, sure. Now then, how do you manage it? I mean having information that should only be privy to the ones at the highest level of command... I don't get it why aren't you getting taken down." As soon Jack said it he remembered how meticolously she disabled Crimson, which meant that she has some form of self defense mastered. Another sigh left him as he keyed in again his account number, and a chime signaled the success of the transaction.

"Blackmail. Dirty secrets." C's grin turned into a much more sinister one and from under her hood a purple spark illuminated for a fraction of a second her shadowed face. Unlike previously she had some sort of white cloth hiding the upper part instead of the dark mask. But what surprised the Instructor really was that something gleamed with a crimson light undearneath it all over.

However as fast it came, even faster it faded as the girl noticed that she was displaying something that she wouldn't reveal at all. Her right arm raised to cover her face, while with the left she reached for the gadget and fiddled with it for a while. It ejected a small card a short while later, which she passed to the Instructor.

"What's this?" Pocketing in he asked for the purpose of the card.

"Can you give that to that gaunt kid? I owe him that." After verifying that everything returned to normal Chotte let her hand fall from before her face and albeit embarrassedly, she did admit her debt.

"Oy... For?" Although she did reveal that the both of them took on the Quadriga or at least she did some part in taking it down.

"Consumables I've taken without permission, any more and I'll charge you." Irritation spiked in her voice and that made Jack sigh in defeat, since for some reason fear started to elope him again and the Instructor was sure that somehow the hooded girl was responsible for that too.

"Oy... Alright, sooo there is only one more thing bothering me--" Holding his arm up defensively, he tried to get one more thing out of her, but the girl stood up and laughed shortly.

"Maybe for 20.000.000 Fc, well I have to get going now." With that she left the room, and Jack alone to think about everything she revealed to him in the last few dozen minutes.

There was something going on with her definiatelly, especially if she wanted to charge such a colossal amount of credits for a revelation. Not to mention, that her aim was really unclear. She had an enourmous amount of credits at the moment close to 95 millions with these transactions, but if she really worked with such numbers as she claims. It should have been more. Just where do her funds go?

Similar questions were surfacing inside Jack, who then got up and left the room and decided to get back to the operator and inquire about the status of Trouble. A few minutes later he arrived on the ground level and saw the entrance open and the trio walk in.

"But I tell you guys, she gave it to me!" Matthias was in a heated conversation with the Alex twins who just shook their head in response, an argument in the making so to say.

"Yea... riiiight. Convinient. Way too convenient if you ask me, how come we couldn't use those bullets?" The male twin, Alex shrugged and once again voiced his disapproval. Sure he saw the bullets in action from the distance as they mowed trough the armored Aragamis weak spots. Interestingly, when he tried to shoot it with the Blaster in his hand it returned an error. Later when his sister joined them, as she tried to operate the weapon it produced the same error as before which made all three puzzled. Not to mention that the bullet worked just fine for the Assault.

"But--" Wanting to strenghten his position, but not really knowing how Matyi was at a loss of words. Since why on earth did she carry these with her, or where did she got them in the first place?

"A girl drops from the top of the ARW, moreover she dug a hole in it with her fist. Possible, but you said she wasn't wearing a Control Armlet, which makes that humanly impossible. And how did she get on top of the wall anyways, hmm? Sounds fishy." Jack started to sharpen his ear at the remarks of Lexa, who shook her head while recounting what they learned of the shady girl. These informations started to point into a direction that really made the Instructor wonder.

"No... I mean... But, she had extensive knowledge over stuff that I don't know..." Unable to completely refute the statements, the shoulders of the gaunt kid slumped as they approached a terminal to register for report and medical exam.

"Matthias! Here, this is for you." The man clad in the dark cloak threw the card towards the kid, who caught it with his left and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Jack! So who's the chick you brought? Mind to introduce me to her?" Before he could ask about the situation Lexa grabbed the instructor by the shoulders and put her right arm over his neck, leaning close with a leer. She was bound to tease him about the situation stirred by the operator previously.

"Lex, can it. That's from C, she said to have borrowed a couple of items and paid their price in full... Maybe a bit too much, since most of the materials to create them can be acquired quite cheaper." Jack shrugged her off and dismissed the fact that she wasn't going to give up that easily, he then turned towards Matyi giving the explanation.

"C? I don't know anyone like that." Unfamiliar with the name he just heard the gaunt kid looked even more surprised at the card in his hand.

"That girl with the hood, who helped you beat the Quadriga." Jack rubbed his chin, and gave the description to him.

"I did notice that a few things were missing, but though I've dropped them somewhere... In the end she took them? What does she do with Elixir Pills and O-Ampules anyway?" Scratching his temple Matyi finally pocketed the item, but the question he just posed added another layer of mystery onto her already big pile.

"Wait, Jack... You two talk about the same suspicious girl, right?" Lexa's grin vanished as she understood that what Matyi had been saying up till now might be the truth afterall.

"Yes, and just refrain from getting on her wrong side. She just sent someone to the hostipal for a couple of weeks because that idiot managed to piss her off." Jack sighed, this is getting weirder and weirder. He hoped this won't spiral out of control, or at least not until he learned her background, but forking over that colossal amount of credits was impossible for him to begin with.

"Heh, so you weren't getting bored while we were away, huh?" Alex grinned as he ordered a couple of supplies from the terminal, he used up all his Stamina boosters and activators while on the sprint and a couple of Rations also.

"Where is she anyways?" Becoming even more interested in this girl named C, the female twin inquired from the Instructor.

"C will be a new recruit soonish. Though she left before you three returned, so you have to wait with that meeting." The instructor said and the twins lost interest in her, Lexa went to a free terminal to order some things for herself aswell.

"I don't think she did so. There is no other exit, and she didn't go past by me unnoticed. Therefore that girl should be still here, unsupervised." Kate's response made Jack facepalm, and the twins turned to each other with a grin. Seems like they weren't the only ones who like to cause trouble.

"Oy... God damn it... I'll go and look for her." With a grunt he turned and went for the elevator, stepping inside he pondered just where could she have gone to.

Thinking about it calmly, since she didn't appear to have went upwards, the only choice was down to the lower levels. So the Instructor decided to return to Level 7 since the rest of the complex had a seperate elevator for the ones below, but that one required membership access. That left only the stairs, so he started his descent from there.

"Lex, what's up? You look disoriented." During the search he must have been spaced out, before long he arrived at where the female twin was training with a dummy Long Blade God Arc wearing a spaced out expression. At least that must have happened as he wasn't sure how he got to the 10th levels training ground. It was a wide spaced area with over 10 metres in width and lenght, on the sides of the walls compartments had been created filled with various equipment that was deemed nessecary for whatever training they should undergo. One of these was open and the Dummy the girl was holding had his place standing there empty.

"I... For a moment I wasn't sure what am I doing here... Jack, wanna spar?" She looked at the weapon in her hand, for a moment being confused with the situation. Then with a grin Lexa turned to the Instructor and gestured at a stand nearby them having a couple of different type God Arcs ready for training excercizes.

"I'm still trying to catch that elusive Chit..." For some reason the thought of the girl sent shivers across his spine and filled him with a trendemous amount of fear, but not only the cloacked man as he gazed on the other God Eater, she also appeared to be shaken by mentioning her.

"Let's just go for a round, for old times sake." Lexa shook her head and pressed the matter once again, with a sigh Jack decided to give in and wentured to the open storeage and pulled out a similar dummy God arc she had been holding.

"Sure, sure... Now tell my what you really want now." As they took a stance in front of each other, he could feel that the shiver was still lingering. His thoughts were interestingly muddled with fear if he tried to think about C, and he came to the conclusion he might have caught up to her somewhere.

"You really plan to return, I can't wait!" Seeing how Jack was lost in his thoughts the female twin waited until he was finally focused on her, then she lunged instantly he was ready.

"That's all?" The strike was parried effortlessly, afterall he knew her all too well. He had been the one to teach it, and help her improve it into her own style.

"Isn't that enough for excitement?! All of us had been taught by you, we look up to you Jack... You know that, don't you?" Grinning even widely she lunged once again, only to be stopped once again. Then again and again. Excitement filled her even more so, thinking that the Instructor is just playing with her, and how would it really be once he really returns to the battlefield.

"Don't praise me for things I didn't earn. I might have taught you some of the basics, but everything that you guys have achieved is individually yours alone and noone elses. Plus, I think you'll have to teach me some tricks when I get back. I'm seriously outdated, if you know what I mean." He might have the upper hand against her, but that is only because she was still human and knew her wall to well. Jack actually feared a bit having to return to active duty, the images of the Cluegels still burned into his mind as the swarm descended over them.

"Belittling yourself aga--" Lexa frowned and sighed as Jack twisted the God Arc out of her hand signaling the end of the session. She was about to reprimand him for doing so when a scream echoed troughout the level.

"AAAHHH!! AAARRAAA--" The source came from their vincinity, but was cut short like the one to shout forcefully closed his mouth.

"That sounded like... Rob..." Not only that, but the direction it came from was where the showers were to be found, for the female staff to be precise.

"Who did he mess with now?" Lexa chuckled, that troublemaker was known for his dirty jokes and regular peeking habits. Also was the one to frequent the medical bay regularly after doing so.

"Let's check on him, shall we?" Jack returned the training gear to their place and closed the compartment, the female twin waited for him while doing so. They arrived in a few minutes to find the kid pale with fright, eyes wide with confusion staring ahead at the entrance to the showers. Rob had short blond hair with green eyes. He wore clothes issued by Fenrir for Snipers or at least he claimed that they are that.

"Nuissance... What have you done now?" With a sigh Jack reached and shook him awake. Confusion spread over Robert realizing he wasn't alone any more.

"Huhh?! ... I, don't know?" The blank expression dissapeared as he tried to collect his thoughts.

"Don't try to play dumb, we heard you scream." Lexa on the other hand wasn't as lenient as he reached down and pulled him up by his collar. Then proceeded to smear him into the nearest wall.

"I did?" Surprised by the action, but more so by the claim the male God Eater was even more perplexed than before.

"Why else would be here, before the female showers? Who did you try to peek on this time?" Poking at his chest a couple times with enough force to make him wince, Lexa still held him firmly.

"I... look, I really can't recall." Not trying to deny anything, but still being unable to remember frightened the accused kid.

"Lex check inside, I'll keep this Nuissance an eye on." With a grunt the female twin let him go and entered the showering area.

While she was inside Jack was trying to figure out what really could have happened. Did he meet with C? If so, why did he scream? Or better yet, where could she have gone to?

"Empty, however one of the booths had been used." Lexa broke the Instructor out from his concentration, who nodded in response.

"Get him checked out." While the females numbered only 5 in Hole, the other two were still busy with their own work at this moment. This made his certain that C was here a few minutes ago.

"Where are you going?" Once again the female God Eater pulled the kid up like a ragdoll, and after her without a care that he protested.

"To Kate, I need to borrow her equipment for a bit." Jack cursed silently as the day was turning sourer by the minute. Even the though that maybe he shouldn't have brought her here appeared. He went to the lower floors elevator and returned to the 7th level, there he proceeded to board the other one and eventually reached back to the ground level. There he strolled to the operator who was apparently debriefing team Hold, and without a word he snatched the mike belonging to the loudspeakers scattered across the Branch.

"Can't you for once ask for permission, Jack?" With a sharp glare the girl eyed him, but did nothing else.

"Thanks for lending it to me. Attention Hole, I want all unusual activity reported ASAP in five minutes. Anything suspicious should be counter, no matter how small or weird it might seem." After the first sentence, he pressed a button and the loudspeakers creacked to life. His voice was carried all over the structure and almost immediatelly an incoming call was signaled from the operators stand. She raised her eyebrow about the sudden development, but pressed the button to receive.

-Sir, I think I have something. One of the programs I was working on had been altered.- The one to report first was none other than the tech named Grand, and although his voice appeared to be shaky, it also sounded like he was enthusiastic for some reason.

"Any damages? When did this happen?" The instructor recalled that he was stationed at the lowest level, 12. Which meant that she was there first probably, however to poke into something that didn't belong to her... Jack quickly dismissed that though, since she openly admitted to be gathering information by any method required... He should have seen such an occasion arising earlier.

-Half an hour ago, I guess... That's when I went to fix something up for me to eat. But it's actually the opposite... I'm not quite understanding everything that's been written, but this is a serious step forward in the research I had been working on.- The scientists words were full of admiration which puzzled the man clad in black. Did really C do that, and why?

"I see... Anyone else?" Scratching his chin, he broke the line as the tech started to babble about definitions and mechanics he wasn't used, nor interested.

-Jack! I don't know if this counts, but there are weird scores inside the simulator.- Just as in cue another buzz came as someone else tried to report. The voice belonged to one of the female mechanics responsible for a multitude of things, but mostly aimed at structural maintenance.

"Gabe, care to explain?" Although the nickname would have more easily belonged to a male, she did quite deserve it with her tomboyish attitude and rowdy behaviour, however since they had only a handful of personel stationed she was a godsend, even with her quirks.

-Sure. Four records showed up in the logs, three of them are completely pathetic. However the last one goes beyond what anyone here could manage to provice. In overall the Norn rankings, Rob holds the record here with being at the #27th place. This score would warrant that someone as the 24th.- The ranking system as he recalled held everything from the previous generations up to the current ones. However what had been just relayed made him frown under his mask and wonder just who is that girl really.

"That's interesting... If anything else turns up, notify me Kate. I'll be looking for C, again and this time hopefully find her." He broke the connection and handed the mike back to the operator.

"Does she have a connection to these cases?" She tried to understand what had just happened here in the last hour, but without enough information that was hopeless.

"I don't think I have enough creds to get that verified... But wish I had..." With a sour chuckle, the Instructor decided to walk towards the elevator.

"Excuse me?" Kate was more lost than before at this remark.

"She has a habit of charging credits for everything she does for others... Okay, maybe not everything but most... But yeah, she might have a hand in these events." Jack sighed before explaining it to her, and decided to return from where this all originated. Maybe that will bring a different light to these events. As the elevator slowly descended he thought that maybe he should make sure for her to tell what is really going on. Problem was, her requirement was way too steep and unattainable at the moment, nor in the near future.

Once again, having returned to the 7th floor Jack noticed that the Director apparently had been in the office earlier, at least based on the amount of paperwork on the table which was stationed in the middle of the oval room. However the person in charge currently was nowhere to be seen, which for some reason annoyed the Instructor even further. Albeit grumbling that his would-be right hand man was flunking work once again, he returned to his room and as he opened the door the scene struck him with a shock.

More like literally, as he entered his room he noticed that it was a mess. While he had only shelf in one of the corner containing only  a very few basic things for his needs everything else was looking like some sort of beast had rampaged inside. Interestingly enough, as he rattled his brains what could have happened the fear amplified to such levels, that even Jack almost started to scream in angst for some reason. Then suddenly as it came it dissapeared, and from literally nowhere the form of C manifested.

She was laying face forward on the ground, having both of her arms pressed with a force enough to whiten her hands at her own neck trough the hood. She was drenched in sweat, panting heavily, occasionally releasing a painful moan and kicking the air with her legs. Furthermore almost periodically purple light was flashing from under her hood, which in turn started to once again increase the fear factor inside the Instructor.

"Can I get you something?" The former God Eater couldn't really make out anything, or even think on much what to do as the situation was rather perplexing.

"Quick death?" She moaned once again and kicked at the ground so hard it bent, and for a moment he could have sworn that something moved underneath her grasp.

"You seem to have more than enough energy if you can still joke around. Do you really need 20 mill creds to spill the beans?" Way too much was going on for him to go and turn a blind eye on her situation. Especially if she needed specialized help.

"I was generous... Normally it should take 50." Once again C groaned, and the a light suddenly erupted from underneath her covered feature. With a moan she raised her head and smashed the forehead down with such a force that a crack appeared in the floor.

"You don't say." Jack sighed and finally gave up. He wasn't even sure what the hell was going on anymore.

--- End of Chapter 2015,07,15