Far East Branch Headquarters - Veteran's Floor

The moon floated high in the sky over the Far East Branch. All was silent and still with the exception of the ticking clock on the wall. As the hands overlapped, pointing skyward, Soma knew it was time. Quiet as a mouse, the young boy slipped out of bed and softly padded his way to the terminal. He entered his credentials into the machine and powered it on. He shifted nervously in anticipation as the terminal attempted to make the connection. It would be morning for her, so she should be awake.

It had been three days since they had last spoken, and he couldn't wait to see her again, his only friend in the world. The system logo spun and spun in the center of the screen. Would she not appear again today? He had begun to deflate when the window finally opened. "Hey, N -" His sentence faded into silence as the video feed came into focus. Something was wrong.

The girl on the computer screen looked downtrodden. Her eyes were tinted red and her face was stained where she had clearly tried to dry her tears.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, hey Soma!" The moment she heard his voice, her eyes illuminated with joy. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, but don't change the subject. What's going on?"

"Nothing. Why do you ask?"

"You've been crying."

"No, I haven't."

"Liar."

As she turned her face away to wipe her eyes, Soma clenched his fists. What happened to her? She was such a cheerful, happy child with a smile as bright as the sun. To bring harm to one so innocent was almost a sin. Worse, he could do nothing to help her. Whoever had hurt her was far out of his reach.

"Soma, don't worry about me. I'm fine. What have you been up to? How was your day?" She rattled off questions, beaming at him. She needed the distraction. Hearing about the events of his day often made hers less painful. Listening to the goings on in his life took her mind off of her own.

Soma sighed and looked back at the screen. He tried to put on the best smile he could muster, given his current mood. "Well, today…"

Soma woke with a start, sitting up and looking around his room. It was morning, although it was difficult to tell in the darkness of his room. Sighing, he swung his legs over the side of the bed. His eyes slowly drifted towards the terminal in the corner of the room. Climbing out of bed, he scoffed at the memory. How many years had it been since he had seen her face? Heard her voice…?

His thoughts drifted to the New Type. The image of her pained face wouldn't leave his mind. His white hair tousled as he shook his head, trying to force the thoughts from his mind. They couldn't have been any more different. His friend had been gentle and kind. She was innocent, frustratingly so, as she were remiss to harm even the smallest of creatures. This woman was violent and fierce. A driven hunter that would eliminate any target as well as anything that stood in her way.

"She doesn't even look like her…" He muttered absentmindedly to himself as he pulled on his clothes. He repeated it over and over, trying to convince himself. If he said it enough times, he might even start to believe it.

. . .

Far East Branch Headquarters - Lobby

Nearly a week had passed since the infamous laboratory disaster. The news had spread quickly through the Den, despite attempts to contain it. The commotion had been heard throughout the floor and the area was so disastrous, that the evidence was impossible to hide. The culprit, Reaper herself, had disappeared. She had been holed up on her floor under heavy surveillance. She could only travel to and from her quarters with either Ichiro or a well-armed squadron.

And it was understandable. Her meltdown had resulted in the destruction of Sakaki's laboratory and equipment that would take countless resources to replace. In addition, a branch researcher had lost his life. The cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma to the brain. The man had been thrown with such force that the impact had shattered his skull and broken his neck. He died instantly. After the incident, she had been deemed too unstable for field operations and removed from active duty.

In the lobby, the floor was bustling with occupants going about their daily routine. While everything appeared normal on the surface, there was tension in the air. No matter where he ventured, Soma could not avoid the whispers and sideways glances in his direction. Ever since the incident, God Eaters throughout the Den had avoided him. Of course, this was not unusual. Very few associated with the 'Death God' even prior to the New Type's arrival. But this time was different. While Soma himself had nothing to do with the event, his presence there seemed to have sparked renewed belief that his presence was a dark omen.

Death follows him wherever he goes…

Even civilians aren't safe around him…

Oddly enough, it wasn't the mutterings that bothered him. What stuck in his mind was the New Type herself. If there was anything that he was familiar with, it was pain… and that was the only thing he saw in her eyes. It raised more questions than he could begin to count. What had her life been like in the North American Branch? She had arrived caged like an animal, surrounded by guards, and after what happened he could clearly see why. For that matter, what was she doing in the Far East Branch anyway? Surely, his father could have located a New Type that was far less dangerous. Why did he want her so badly?

"…he had a family too; a wife and daughter."

"What kind of monster would do something like that…?"

His footsteps stopped at the sound of a nearby conversation. So that was how they viewed her now, no different than him. No, in fact, worse than him. Soma, for all of his misfortune, had never murdered a civilian. Why had she done it? His thoughts rang loudly in his head… or rather, he could hear them too clearly. It was quiet. Too quiet. The lobby had fallen silent, save for hushed whispers around the room.

What the hell is going now?

Growing irritable, he scanned the room to find the source of the disturbance. He didn't have to wait long. The crowd quickly parted like a repellant wave as a small form walked slowly through the hall. If the crowd's reaction hadn't been evidence enough, the violet hair was a dead giveaway. A small troupe of God Eaters made their way through the hall. At the center was the topic of discussion herself: Reaper. She was being escorted by hunters from the Defense Unit. Unlike the First Unit's assault tactics, the Defense Unit's primary purpose was to protect the outer wall. As such, they were trained to protect civilians and destroy incoming threats.

Soma stood his ground as they passed, refusing to give in to the group mentality of the other members. They were God Eaters. If he wasn't afraid of a Vajra, then he wasn't afraid of her either. When she passed, he noticed that there was something different about her. Her eyes were usually dull, clouded and empty with little behind them… but they still showed sparks of life. Now, they were dead, completely devoid of any trace of sentience. She was like a walking corpse.

She didn't spare him even a glance. Her eyes were locked forward. One of the God Eaters in her squadron gently tapped her shoulder, prompting her to change direction. She turned and continued her mindless movement as they herded her toward the Mess Hall. It was easily one of the most disturbing scenes that he had ever seen in his life. The hushed whispers increased in volume when she disappeared from the lobby. As the other occupants returned to their tasks, a frustrated Soma stomped his way towards the Hangar.

....Damn it all

. . .

City of Mercy

A screech echoed through the deserted city. A gentle wind blew in between the damaged skyscrapers, tossing dirt and dust to the ground below. A herd of Zygotes lay slain near the base of an old building, their bodies twisted in unnatural angles. At the center of the massacre was Soma. God Arc in hand, he glared at the mangled bodies at his feet. His work was sloppy today, usually clean cuts looking jagged and random. The weapon had moved with a mind of its own as its owner was plagued with thoughts he could not control.

It had been like this ever since the New Type had arrived. He felt frustrated. He felt confused. He felt… guilty. Her presence stirred memories in him long forgotten. The sight of her sent his mind reeling but avoiding her was no better. When she was gone, he found his mind wandered to another time and place. A kindhearted smile. A cheerful voice…

"Damn it!" He was doing it again. Why couldn't he keep his mind off of her?

Shaking his head, he extracted the last remaining core from the Aragami and left the area. He had a mission to do. He needed to stay focused.

"Huh?" A white blur of movement did just that, drawing his attention to the cathedral. "Was there… someone in there?" Lifting his buster blade in a defensive position, he changed course. His footsteps crunched quietly against the gravelly floor as he entered the opening. His eyes swept in every direction. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't seem to detect anything.

Rounding the corner, his eyes took in his surroundings. The towering walls stretched to the damaged ceiling. Beams of light streamed in through the broken stained glass. A familiar cigarette lay forgotten near the wall. He smirked for a moment at the idea of Lindow, irritable as an Aragami interrupted his smoke break, before returning his attention to the room. Himself excluded, there was no one in the hall. "Hmm… must've imagined it…"

Beep, beep.

A familiar sound shattered the silence. The blade lowered to the ground as Soma reached into his pocket and retrieved his cellular device.

"This is Soma… No, no contact with the target as of yet. We'll keep searching."

Ending the call, he returned his phone to his jacket and swung his God Arc over his shoulder. He took one last look around the Cathedral and made his way towards the exit. As he walked, his mind wandered yet again to the New Type. The haunting look in her eyes still bothered him. What had he done to her?

Behind him, the distracted God Eater didn't notice the little girl watching from the stained glass window. Her pale skin glowed under the sun's rays as her eyes followed him out of the building.