Trigger warning: graphic depictions of violence

. . .

Far East Branch Headquarters - Director's Office

Soma stared at the screen. The mystery surrounding Reaper's death had haunted him for many years. He had spent countless nights lying awake and wondering, asking endless questions without any answers. What had happened to cause the crash? Was it a mechanical failure? Had Aragami intercepted their path? Had she gone peacefully or had she died agony, burning alive in the flames? What had she been doing on that aircraft in the first place? Now, a single moment had rendered all such questions irrelevant. She was alive.

Yet somehow, that knowledge didn't settle his fears. It only raised more concern. The answers lay in front of him. All he had to do was press Play… but that turned out to be far more challenging that he would have expected. He had spent so much time wondering. And now that he had the chance to learn, he found himself nervous. What if he wasn't prepared for what he'd see?

After some thought, he decided it best to learn the truth. Nothing good would come from avoiding it. Steeling himself for whatever lie ahead, he pressed the key.

"Rest, child… when you awake, you will find yourself in a place called Russia. And you will be safe."

"Mn…"

Dr. Hamasaki stood towards the back of the cabin, gently running his fingers along the edge of a large metal cage. Within lay the fruit of all his research. The young woman lay sleeping, heavily sedated within the four walls. With the help of Director Smith and some careful planning, they had managed to arrange an emergency transport. They would take her to a new world. A place far away from the underground lab rooms. A place with an ample supply of mental assistance for what was sure to be ever-lasting trauma. A place where she could recover in safety.

But as his weight shifted slightly to the left, he turned his eyes to the small rectangular window. They were turning…and very sharply. His eyes squinted slightly as he strode toward a chestnut-haired man across the cabin.

"Rodrick, what's going on? The aircraft has changed course. Our trajectory is too far to the north."

At his question, Rodrick's eyes slid slowly to his blonde colleague beside him. There was no point in lying to him now.

"Nothing gets past you, does it Hamasaki? Yes, we have changed course. Our new destination is the Arctic Circle."

The doctor responded with outrage. "The Arctic… Correct our trajectory at once, this is a direct violation of Director -"

"Director Smith is an idealist holding on to a failed experiment. His emotions cloud his judgment."

The doctor gaped at him, taken aback by his snarky reply. Slowly he leaned to the side to peer into the cockpit. The man flying the plane wasn't their authorized pilot, but a different one. Someone he didn't recognize… an imposter. Then his eyes narrowed and his voice grew dark.

"I see. So you are intending to…"

"You know that this is for the best, Hiroyuki." The blonde researcher interjected, unable to keep quiet any longer.

"…Samuel… you as well?"

"By keeping her, we are playing with fire, my friend. She is far too dangerous. Surely you must know that. She is a violent and aggressive -"

"But she isn't! She has never brought any harm to -"

"To you. Or your son. But what of the others? She has already killed multiple researchers, and most recently incapacitated the entire second squadron."

Hamasaki fell silent, unable to refute his argument. She had displayed a deep resentment for his fellow researchers… but who could possibly blame her?

"I understand that."

"Do you? They were our colleagues, Hiroyuki. They were our friends… YOUR friends. Would you dishonor their deaths as we continue this experimental failure?"

"Of course, I wouldn't, Samuel. You know that. This is why we must take her to Russia. They are the leading branch in psychological specialists. Surely, there must be another way."

"There isn't. Specimen 13 is a ferocious inhuman creature. We tried to create the perfect weapon to destroy the menace plaguing our world… instead, we created a monster. An intelligent monster that with time will continue to learn and grow. A monster that is nearly human enough to hide among us. We failed, Hiroyuki. It is time to put an end to this."

"…She is not a monster. She is a child seeking comfort and security no different than any other. She cannot be blamed for mankind's folly… for my folly."

The plane fell silent, save for the humming of the engine and buzzing of machinery.

"If you truly believe that, Hiroyuki… then you are as naïve as he is."

Samuel shook his head. His friend was beyond reason. The specimen could serve no further purpose than destruction, but he was too blinded to see it. He had convinced himself that she was… human. He had left him no choice.

Behind his friend, hidden from view, the specimen in question was slowly waking from her slumber.

"I won't let you do this!"

Hamasaki adamantly refused. He turned and stormed towards the cockpit. If he could not reason with them, then he would contact Headquarters. A pair of men stepped forward, halting his progress. They blocked his path, refusing him entry. Did they intend to force him into compliance?

The two gripped his arms and dragged the struggling doctor away from the cockpit… and from the back of the cabin, their awakened specimen came to life.

At the sight of her caretaker being threatened, she bared her teeth and shook with rage. She had suffered unspeakable abuse at the hands of those men, but she would not allow them to harm the doctor. Summoning all of her strength, she rammed against the walls of the cage, shaking the structure. Startled, the rest of the cabin flew into action. The God Eaters on either side of her, lifted from their resting positions, holding their God Arcs at the ready to strike. Another researcher, whom she recognized far too well with his wrist bracelet and his lab coat, shouted to another.

"She's awake! Get the tranquilizers!"

"Get the control!"

At his command, another grabbed the remote control from the nearby tray and quickly pressed the button.

Beep, beep.

The collar activated, unleashing an electric shock into her neck… but she couldn't feel the pain. Panicked, the man pressed the button again to the same result.

"It's not working!"

The researcher backed away nervously as she rammed into the walls of the cage again. The bars groaned in protest, their shape contorting with each assault.

"Do it again, turn the device to maximum setting!"

Hamasaki flailed against the men holding him as her scarf began to spark.

"No, don't!"

Beep, beep.

They ignored his warning… a grave mistake. Absorbing the charge, she rushed forward one last time. The bars came loose. The walls of the cage collapsed, the bars breaking apart and the side bursting from its hinges. The God Eaters lifted their weapons to intercept her, but she was too quick for them. Sidestepping their swipes, she lifted one of the loose bars from the ground and thrust it into the unsuspecting attacker, nailing her to the wall. Slipping around the second strike, she grabbed yet another bar and impaled her male companion through the chest.

With her two biggest threats eliminated, she slowly turned to the rest of the cabin. As she eyed their coats and their instruments, she could feel her fury rising. She recounted the years of abuse exacted by each and every one of them. The woman huddling in the corner had removed her larynx in multiple procedures. She had been only lightly sedated. The man across from her had mutilated her, carving out different pieces to see if they would regenerate. When they did, he did it again.

A pair further away had 'tested her healing capabilities' by cutting her open with a scalpel. They hadn't used anesthetic. It could 'interfere with the data'. The man standing in front of her, remote in hand, had subjected her to countless electrical shocks, burning her neck with permanent scars…

And behind him were the three she hated the most. She recognized the blonde and brunette as the pair that had injected her countless times in the hopes of creating another, more compliant specimen. And when that had failed, they had decided to experiment using bias factor. She felt all of the pain and anger of over a decade rising to the surface, threatening to boil over until finally…

She erupted.

She released her stored electricity in a powerful discharge. The two God Eaters pinned closest to her on either side were electrocuted. Hitting the walls, the wave overloaded the equipment, frying nearly every circuit in the plane, including her collar. She tore the shattered device from her neck and let it fall to the ground, freeing her from her metaphorical chains.

"Warning… Warning… System failure. Initiate emergency protocol."

The alarm blared and the remaining lights flickered. And for a moment all was completely still. In the seconds that followed, all hell broke loose. The cabin exploded into panic as the plane began to slowly descend, the auto-pilot emergency landing initiated.

Her first victim was the remote-carrier. Her eyes locked onto him. His final image was the woman rushing towards him as she wrapped her fingers around his neck in the same place that her collar had been. With hatred in her eyes, she squeezed until she heard the tell-tale snap. She dropped his lifeless body to the floor, remote still in hand.

Her next victim was the female surgeon. In two large bounds, she closed the distance between them. In a twist of irony, she clawed and tore out her throat before slamming her head against the wall hard enough to shatter her skull. The man beside her, the mutilator met an even more gruesome fate. She brought him to the ground and slammed him face first to the floor, pinning his torso with her foot. She grabbed a hold of both of his arms and yanked with all of her strength, snapping his spine… but she didn't stop there. She continued to pull until the arms separated from his body before tossing the detached limbs aside.

The carver came next. Grabbing a scalpel from a nearby table, she closed in on him and ran the utensil into his chest. He coughed and sputtered as the keen edge punctured his lung. His eyes met her murderous gaze before she ripped downward, carving him open like a roast bird. He fell lifelessly to the floor with a wet thump, spraying her with his life essence and staining her entire body red. Her tongue slowly slid from her mouth, collecting a small taste of the crimson fluid.

Then, she turned.

She locked her gaze on the last people on her list. Samuel, Rodrick, and the violator. The three of them tensed, the crazed look in her eyes rooting each of them in place. Before them stood the monster their own making. Drenched with blood, and wearing a wicked smile, she looked the very picture of death itself… and she was loving every moment of it.

Rodrick came first. He caught a glimpse of her for only a moment before he was airborne. She wrapped her hand around his arm and threw him clear across the cabin, sending him crashing into the back wall. Following him, she grabbed one of the metal bars of the cage and stomped, ramming her foot into his chest and pinning him to the ground. Lifting the rod high above her head, she swung downward. The bar smashed across his head, cracking the skull. Then, she her arm and swung again. And again. And again. She beat him until he was a bloody, disjointed mess on the floor, long dead from her second strike.

Samuel came second. She could hear him rushing about the cabin with his companion, searching for their emergency gear. When she turned her head, the violator had already equipped his parachute, and Samuel held his in his arms. In seconds, she crossed the distance, knocking him from his grasp as she tackled him, pinning him to the ground. She held his struggling form beneath her, glaring down at him. She watched him flail beneath her, helplessly restrained in the same way that she had been. She paused for a moment, unsure of an appropriate way to kill him.

As Samuel was captured, he knew that he was beyond help. The third and final victim had hidden himself inside of the cockpit with the pilot. He could hear the carnage taking place on the other side. She undoubtedly slaughtered Samuel before ripping through the rest of the plane like a tornado on a vicious bloody rampage. When all fell silent, he felt his heart leap into his throat. He could hear footsteps approaching the barrier.

Then, the door shook violently as a tremendous force collided with it from the other side. He shuddered, clenching his fists as the plane fell silent again. Had she given up…?

His hopes were dashed within moments as a second, stronger collision tore the barred door from its hinges. The large metal slab struck the pilot in the back of his head, killing him instantly before sliding to the floor. And rolling along the floor and into the cockpit… was Samuel's detached head.

He backed away and pressed against the console, trying to create as much distance as possible between him and the furious beast. But his efforts were in vain. Slowly… deliberately… she stepped through the doorway. Her bloodstained lips curled into a frightening smile as she approached him. She could smell his fear. She wondered, had she smelled the same way to him? He shook his head violently from side to side as stood before his cowering form. Had she looked the same way when she was begging him to stop? Reaching forward, she slowly placed her hand against his chest. Her caress was almost gentle.

Then her grip tightened. She dragged him with her, from the cockpit and near one of the doors of the plane. The wind threatened to pull her off her feet as she gripped the wall.

Their gaze met one last time as she dragged him forward. His eyes were wide and trembling with terror. She could see the tears pooling at the corner of his eyes, a silent plea for mercy. Had she gazed at him the same way when their eyes met?

She didn't know.

And she didn't care.

Tossing him forward, she threw him from the plane towards the wing… where the engine swallowed him whole. A burst of crimson blood and shredded organs spewed from the back of the turbine as she slammed the door. Then, she turned… towards the last remaining survivor on the aircraft.

Hiroyuki Hamasaki lay crouched against the far wall, his body trembling in fear. He had never seen such a display of raw savagery. It was a dreadful combination, marrying the ruthless bloodshed of the Aragami… with the sentient cruelty of humanity. He didn't know what to make of it. He didn't know what to think. And the source of the brutality was the teenage girl walking steadily towards him. His limbs trembled involuntarily as she stood above him. His panicked gaze met her angry one as he slowly reached a shaking hand towards her, as though trying to keep her away.

"That's enough. Please… please, stop this…"

The popping sound of the communication feed in the cockpit jolted her. Gazing down at her caretaker, the rage left her eyes. In its place was hurt… hurt that he would gaze upon her the same as everyone else. He flinched as she slowly reached toward him…

and grabbed his hand. Pulling him to his feet, she stared up at him. As Hamasaki looked down at her, his fear began to subside. The whirlwind of death and destruction was no more. There was only a young woman drenched in blood and gazing at him with tired eyes.

The engine-turned-meat-grinder boomed, rocking the plane. The engine failed. Hiroyuki fell against the wall, trying to keep his balance as the woman sprang into motion. They didn't have much time.

Rushing to the edge of the plane, she grabbed a parachute then headed for the back, equipping the backpack as she ran. She retrieved her God Arc, stored safely in its metal case, and returned to the doctor gripping his arm tightly in her hand and wrapping it around her waist to her parachute. The second engine stalled and failed.

They were in freefall.

She gripped her God Arc in one hand and embraced the doctor in the other. Lifting her leg, she kicked open the emergency door and leapt from the plane. The empty aircraft shuddered as it fell farther and farther… and the image was no more.

Soma gazed silently at the blank screen. His body was still, but his mind was running at a 100 miles per hour. Reaper hadn't been a victim of the accident. And it hadn't been an accident at all. She had caused it. And only after she had slaughtered every passenger aboard without remorse. All but one. His mind became a battlefield of conflicting thoughts and emotions. On one side, he saw the gentle, innocent face of his childhood friend… and on the other, a merciless demon that in less than 15 minutes had slaughtered more than nine people in some of the most twisted ways possible. Truly, she had earned her name: Reaper. Suddenly, her scythe seemed like a twisted joke of irony.

He couldn't understand it. He couldn't fathom what could have happened to turn that sweet little girl into… this. Why had she done it? And why had Hamasaki been spared her wrath? Why had been given mercy when no others had been left to live? Closing the window, Soma navigated through the various uploaded folders. There were tons of them. There were folders detailing the Managarm Project and its members. There were folders discussing Oracle cell research. There were folders discussing compounds and discoveries.

But there was only one folder he was looking for. His eyes paused as they passed over the folder they had been searching for. Next-Generation Enhanced Operative; Research Data. As he moved to open the file, the Director stopped him. Shifting his eyes from the screen, Soma turned his gaze to his father, who had gently placed a hand on his arm. At his questioning gaze, Johannes shook his head. In his eyes he saw sadness… and remorse?

"It is… difficult to watch. Be assured you're prepared to handle what you may see."

While Soma said nothing, his heart pounded in his chest. His father's harrowing warning concerned him. He knew his father well and he knew the types of activities he had dabbled in. Having lived through the rise of the Aragami, he had seen countless gruesome sights. He had watched humans being eaten alive. He had watching buildings burn with people in them. He had watched his own mother fall victim to her own body as he was born.

What could possibly be twisted enough to rattle him?

He was no long sure he wanted to know. As he met his father's saddened expression, he paused to give it some thought. He offered no recourse. The decision was his.

He could close the window and walk away. He could leave the office and never look back. He could spend the rest of his days ignorant to the truth… but he didn't want to. It didn't seem fair. For years, he had watched her suffer through the screen of a computer. He had been unable to help her as he had watched her hide her tears and smile, never telling who or what had made her so upset.

Now, he had the chance to learn. He couldn't imagine her exacting such butchery without a reason. She was too gentle. He couldn't bring himself to simply view her as the evil abomination that she had appeared in the transmission. No. Something had pushed her to this… and he owed it to her to find out what it was.

Shaking his head, he returned to the screen and opened the folder.