Sunken Grid

Soma scoffed and brushed the sweat from his brow. The humid air felt heavy in his lungs and clung to his hair leaving it damp and slick. At his feet lay a slain Chi-You, its limbs twitching sporadically following its death. This had been the twelfth mission they had undertaken in the past week and he was beginning to lose his patience. Their first mission had gone well, and so had all of their missions to follow… their many, many missions.

But in recent days, Hamasaki had been an absolute slave driver, pushing the First Unit to exhaustion. It had been mission after mission, quest after quest, kill after kill. It felt like all they did now was eat, hunt, bathe, eat, and sleep, in that order. With Sakuya still on leave and Alisa in recovery, that had left only the remaining four members to pick up the massive workload. Even Reaper seemed to be slowing down slightly, her body growing weary from the constant strain.

Soma had been meaning to have a stern talk with him for a while now, to tell him that he was pushing his team members too hard. But he had never gotten the chance. He was filing reports to and from the drop sites and quickly vanished upon their return to the Den. He had even attempted to catch him in his room late one night, but he hadn't been there either. After pushing them to the brink of collapse, he would always find a way to elude him, slipping continuously through his grasp.

Ironically, the only one who wasn't completely exhausted at this point was Ichiro himself… and after close observation during their most recent mission, he could easily see why.

Their Squad Leader had been strategically placing himself in situations that required less extensive combat. He left the striker role almost entirely to Soma, and spent more time directing Reaper than actually fighting himself. In fact, the North American pair had seen the most dramatic shift in their combat strategy. Their graceful battle dance had all but disappeared, leaving them as two separate, but equally destructive forces of God Eating nature. For the first time since they had formed a group, they were fighting as individuals, and that struck him as odd.

Even more surprising was the way he was driving Reaper. Hard as he was working the rest of them, he seemed to be pressing the New Type the most out of anyone. It almost seemed like he was pushing her specifically, placing her in the most challenging roles and working her until she nearly dropped. If he didn't know any better, he would think that Hamasaki was trying to weaken her, which considering the two's relationship, didn't really make sense.

Soma couldn't understand what had caused the sudden change. One might assume that the two had a fight but… that didn't seem possible. Reaper didn't fight. Reaper didn't argue. Not with him. She followed his word unquestioningly… sometimes almost obsessively so.

And the shift in their relationship hadn't been exclusive to combat.

Where his eyes once gazed upon her with loving adoration, they were now distant and cold. Where he would often guide her with a gentle hand along her shoulders or waist, now he barely touched her at all. In some cases, he actually went to great lengths to avoid physical contact entirely. His kind, affectionate treatment of their New Type had slowly deteriorated to the point of borderline cruelty. He was acting almost like he hated her…

And that was the strangest part about the entire situation. Soma could visibly see the pain in his eyes every time he pulled away from her. He watched his hard gaze shift into an apologetic one when he thought that no one was watching. Every time he turned away from her, fists clenched, Reaper recoiled at his perceived anger. But looking at him forward, he could see that his trembling was of sadness, not of rage.

If observing the two of them over the past few weeks had taught him anything… it was that Shun might have been right. While Ichiro vehemently denied any romantic involvement between the two of them, Reaper clearly held a special place in his heart. He wasn't simply fond of her. He loved her… and from what he could tell more than anything else in the world. Even Soma could see that.

So why then was he trying so hard to distance himself from her?

After finishing their mission, Soma decided that he would get his answers one way or another, as they loaded into the transport. His determination only intensified as he watched their most recent interaction. Seeking comfort, Reaper had gently reached for her companion, as she often did when distressed… but he shied away from her, rejecting her touch. The look of hurt in her eyes made his stomach clench. She looked close to tears as she chose instead to rest her tired head against Kota's shoulder. Sensing her sadness, he gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders, trying his best to elevate her mood. Beside her, Ichiro spared her a quick glance. At the sight of the pair, he turned away, looking nothing short of devastated.

What the hell was going on?

. . .

Far East Branch Headquarters - Veteran's Floor

When they finally returned to Headquarters Reaper practically stumbled into the lift and pressed the button. She was heading upstairs, presumably to take a shower then find a bed - most likely Ichiro's - to rest in. The Captain himself had wandered elsewhere, most likely to report to Major Amamiya. Kota yawned and stretched his arms, flopping onto a nearby couch and closing his eyes. Soma headed for the showers to relax, both his muscles and his mood. When he returned to his floor, he noticed Reaper standing outside of her companion's bedroom staring blankly at the closed door. How long had she been standing there like that?

She was completely still. The only motion she made were her fingers clenching and releasing as she struggled to figure out what to do. She clearly wanted to go to him, but she likely didn't want to be turned down again. Soma watched her as she raised her hand to open the door, stopped, and let her arm fall. She gazed sadly at the door and lowered her eye to the floor. Her shoulders sagged as she turned and wandered towards the lift, to return to her own room. By this point, he was used to the dull expression in her eyes. But that was usually a result of her stalwart hypnosis. Now, they looked truly dead. She looked broken.

And that was the final straw.

Turning, he headed towards the stairs, his initial objective of getting some rest completely forgotten. Soma was going over his head. He was putting a stop to this.

. . .

Far East Branch Headquarters - Director's Office

Johannes sat quietly behind his desk lost deep in thought. It had taken more than a few days to get through all of documentation of their New Type in between his obligations as Branch Director and he was utterly exhausted. He had combed through every section of every page and every document in every individual file, occasionally skimming over the more disturbing details. He had watched through every second of every single record, ranging from her happy years to her tortured ones.

Unable to leave any stone unturned, he was forced to watch as the child had been mistreated and abused in unimaginable ways. He had watched her transformation from sweet little girl to living weapon. He had watched as the light and hope slowly faded from her eyes as her flame weakened with each new experiment. And the final footage he watched had been the most gruesome. It had been the data disk extracted from the aircraft itself before the crash. And as nauseating as they had found the state of the wreckage, the actual event had been far more horrid. After sitting through the entirety of the other data disk however… he couldn't entirely blame her.

Almost every facet of her broken mind was perfectly understandable. Her hatred of science and her distrust of authoritative figures. Even her dissent into depression and subsequent self-harm after her increased isolation. The loss of his son had been painful for her, and in some part, he was to blame. Their contact had slowed because he placed him under a strict training regimen… and the New Type was simply left to feel abandoned. But more importantly, this knowledge had confirmed his suspicion, leaving no doubt whatsoever.

She and Soma's friend were one in the same.

While he hadn't been the most present person in his son's life, he had done his best to be a somewhat attentive parent. When work wasn't keeping him busy, he did spend what time he could with Soma, although it wasn't nearly enough. So it wasn't surprising when the boy sought attention elsewhere. And he had found it in the form of a pen pal from the West. He had no idea how the two had managed to find one another. Soma had a habit of sneaking into the database late during the night and as troublesome as Reaper was, she probably did the same. With the two of them messing around in the communication server, it was only a matter of time before their paths intertwined. And to be honest, he was happy that they did.

It was almost poetic happenstance that the daughter of their old friends would one day find his son. She was the only other living result of the Managarm Project, the counterpart to Soma.

At first, he had been uncertain about his son's midnight excursions. Occasionally he would pass by his room and peer through a crack in his door. When he did, he would see the girl on the other end of the screen smiling gleefully at him. And when Johannes saw how happy she made him; he saw no reason to interfere. He couldn't bring himself to. Soma desperately needed a friend, and he had found one. Who was he to take that away from him?

But in the end, he didn't need to… as the hands of fate would eventually tear the two of them apart. After losing her, Soma began to change. He noticed that his son became colder and more withdrawn. While he had always been a somewhat temperamental child, after her death, he became volatile and quick to anger. He pulled away from everyone, focusing all of his energy into his training.

At the time, Johannes foolishly assumed his son a diligent student. But in hindsight, it was probably the only way he knew how to cope. Hunting Aragami gave him something else to focus on, channeling his pain into combat.

But now, she had returned to him and he had indisputable proof. He had even noticed Soma on occasion captured within the recordings. During the mornings, his son's face could be seen on the other side of her screen through the camera in her room. The fact that she had survived brought joy to his heart.

It also presented a conundrum.

While it had taken a great deal of time, Soma had finally managed to make peace with his friend's death. He had grieved and mourned her loss, and eventually channeled that grief into power, becoming one of the strongest God Eaters Fenrir had ever seen. Her disappearance had damaged him, but it also made him stronger.

And now, he was presented with a choice. He could keep her identity hidden and allow him much to keep his much needed closure. Or he could tell him the truth and subsequently reveal the life she had led as a human test subject.

Theirs was certainly not a model relationship, but Johannes knew his son well enough. He would be overjoyed to learn that his pen pal had survived… but he would also learn truths of her life that she had undoubtedly kept hidden. He would see her in a different light than he had come to accept over these many months. He would no longer see Reaper as only his team member, but as the hollow shell of what his friend could have been. To let him live on with the acceptance of her 'death' would be cruel. But to learn through what she had lived would hurt him far, far worse. It was times like these that he wished Aisha were still alive. She was always better in situations like these.

"Soma… what am I to do?" Gazing at the woman on his screen, he muttered and mulled over his options.

They say if one speaks of the devil, he shall appear… and while that phrase was usually in reference to Reaper these days, that was not always the case. The very subject of his thoughts suddenly appeared in the doorway, looking thoroughly pissed off. It was rare for Soma to come to his office, let alone in such a foul mood. If he was there, something must have been wrong.

"Good evening, Soma. What can I do for you?"

"You need to do something about Hamasaki." True to form, he cut straight to the point as he stomped his way over to the desk. "He's overworking the team. We can't keep going like this. Kota is about to collapse and Reaper is…"

Soma stopped his tirade and fell deathly silent. The Director stared at him for a moment, visibly confused as he slowly followed his gaze… to the woman on his screen. Then he watched as the blood slowly drained from his face. He could almost see the gears turning as his mind worked rapidly, trying to rationalize what he was seeing.

"… alive?"

Soma's face was a wildly changing array of emotions. The first was surprise at the photograph before him. The second was disbelief not only of the survival of his friend, but her current presence in the very same branch. The third was sadness, as his mind undoubtedly drifted to painful memories. Then finally, as his eyes slid beneath the image, it was rage. His teeth clenched as he read the name printed beneath her lifeless face; Next-Generation Enhanced Operative.

Soma stared incredulously at him, his eyes drifting back and forth between the image and his father. Johannes waited patiently for him to go through his motions, cycling through expressions as each new sensation washed over him like a tidal wave. His son had never been the most efficient person at processing his emotions, and it seemed that his particular situation had overloaded his brain. When his mind finally regained some semblance of functionality, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Perhaps he didn't believe it… or maybe he didn't want to.

"…Is it her?"

"See for yourself." Johannes slid the keyboard toward him, giving him control of the screen. Soma hit the keys, scrolling through the uploaded images. His heart hammered in his chest as he watched her age in reverse, growing younger and more familiar… until finally, he saw her. The image of his lost friend, with her trademark smile. A torrent of conflicting emotions crashed over him, threatening to drown him as his mind sporadically tumbled from thought to thought.

He felt joy beyond measure. She was alive.

He felt confusion. How was that possible?

He felt concern. What had happened to her?

He felt rage. How long had he known?

Watching his son rotate through different facial expressions, Johannes was able to piece together his thoughts. Then, he answered his question before he even had the opportunity to ask.

"The data has only recently become available to us."

Soma blinked, a little surprised that he had predicted his inquiry.

"Is that why you left?"

"Yes."

"So you found the site?"

"Yes."

"So what happened?"

Johannes didn't answer. Instead he returned to his screen and pulled up one of the recordings uploaded from the data disk. Upon the screen, he could see the paused image of an aircraft cabin. Within were a group of scientists, adorned in their lab coats. Leaning against the walls, God Arcs in hand, were a pair of God Eaters. Near the back of the plane was someone he didn't recognize, but looked vaguely familiar, like an older version of someone he knew. And beside him, sealed in a heavy metal cage… was his friend. As the image loaded, Soma slowly turned his eyes to the Director.

"The hell is this?"

"…The truth."